Photo taken on July 22, 2019 shows the city view of Caracas, Venezuela. Preliminary investigation has shown that "an electromagnetic attack" is the probable cause of the massive blackout hitting most parts of Venezuela earlier Monday, an official said. The power outage affected much of the country (about 17 states) as of 4:40 p.m. local time (2040 GMT), including the capital district. (Xinhua/Marcos Salgado)

CARACAS, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Preliminary investigation has shown that "an electromagnetic attack" is the probable cause of the massive blackout hitting most parts of Venezuela earlier Monday, an official said.

The sabotage "sought to affect the country's hydroelectric generation system, the main provider of power in Venezuela," said Jorge Rodriguez, the country's minister of Communication and Information.

The power outage affected much of the country (about 17 states) as of 4:40 p.m. local time (2040 GMT), including the capital district.

The blackout has knocked out telecommunications and traffic, among other services, with many people posting images of Caracas residents walking to their destinations after subway services were interrupted.

"The Bolivarian government has implemented protection and security protocols that allow us to confirm that we are in the process of reconnection to restore the use of electrical energy in the smallest possible interval," said Rodriguez.

The government has activated special mechanisms with personnel deployed in response to the contingencies in the transportation sector, to guarantee water supply and "increase surveillance" of any situation in the health centers, he added.

Sporadic power outages are common in Venezuela, a country whose economy has collapsed amid a years-long political crisis.

Venezuelans still have fresh memories of a massive blackout on March 7 that brought the country to a standstill for days.