Caracas - A massive power failure left more than half of Venezuela without electricity for two hours Tuesday, causing chaos during rush hour.

Authorities said the 4 pm blackout was due to an error in the line system which was overloaded due to high temperatures and the subsequent increased energy consumption.

The power failure affected major cities and at least 11 of Venezuela9s 23 states.

In the capital Caracas hundreds of people had to be rescued from stalled subway cars and trapped elevators. No traffic lights led to snarled traffic along major avenues just before the afternoon rush hour. Hospitals were operating on emergency generators.

By late Tuesday night the situation was "nearly normal" according to official reports. (dpa)