RIO DE JANEIRO (November 11, 2009)--Brazilian authorities blamed storms for Tuesday night's widespread power outage that left as many as 60 million people in the dark.

The blackout lasted for more than two hours in 18 states, affecting Rio, Sao Paulo and several other major cities.

It also knocked out power in neighboring Paraguay for about 30 minutes.

Officials said a band of storms knocked down power lines and towers, knocked a huge hydroelectric dam offline, brought subways to a halt and hindered airport operations.

The blackout also renewed questions about the country's security plans for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

Authorities said that during the outage, groups of muggers victimized people near the football stadium that will host the 2014 World Cup Final, and the opening and closing ceremonies during the Olympics two years later.