Article at: http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20000121_1483.html

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) _ At least 500,000 residents were without water Friday because of a failure the day before at a main pumping station.

If repairs continue at the current rate, only half of them would see service restored by Sunday evening, Secretary of State Angel Morey said.

The station also provides drinking water to 52 hospitals, 278 schools and 52 hotels in the teeming capital city and surrounding towns of Carolina and Trujillo Alto. Hotels and hospitals have switched to stored water, while the University of Puerto Rico has canceled classes Friday for its 67,000 students.

Islanders accustomed to storing water during the June-to-November hurricane season in case of emergency were largely caught off guard by the sudden January drought.

The government has set up tanker trucks to supply free drinking water.

-- Antoine (metis@2000now.org), January 21, 2000