A severe storm has been blamed for widespread power cuts in Brazil which lasted more than five hours, the government said.
The strong winds, heavy rain and lightning brought down a power line in Brazil, cutting two other lines and ultimately shutting Itaipu dam.
In the worst blackout to hit Brazil in years, up to a fifth of the population was left without power on Tuesday.
Neighbouring Paraguay was also briefly left in the dark.
Initial suspicion had focused on the Itaipu hydroelectric plant, which supplies 20% of Brazil's power, but officials there said the facility was working normally.
Grid 'strong'
Energy Minister Edson Lobao said the bad weather cut the transmission lines in Sao Paulo state, leading the huge Itaipu dam to shut down automatically.
"Our grid is strong and resistant, but there are moments that the system simply can't withstand," he told reporters in the capital Brasilia.
The outage caused chaos on the streets of major Brazilian cities, including Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which will showcase the 2014 World Cup and host the 2016 Olympics.READ MORE
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