Chile has been hit by its worst blackout in 15 years after a transmission line failure knocked out power for hours for more than 90 per cent of its population as well as the country’s crucial copper mines.

A large power outage struck vast swaths of Chile on Tuesday, interrupting mining operations in the world's biggest copper producer and leaving residents of Santiago without electricity. Areas from the mining-intensive north to the central and southern regions that are home to most of the population,

A major power outage in Chile has disrupted copper production at some of the world's largest mines, prompting a state of emergency.