A rally against power cuts and food shortages appeared to begin peacefully in the city of Moron before turning violent in the early Saturday morning, a state-run newspaper reported.

Dramatic footage appears to show protester on the ground after alleged gunfire as crowds attack Communist Party building in Cuba, chanting 'Freedom!' amid crisis.

A group of residents of a city in central Cuba have taken to the streets and partially destroyed the local headquarters of the ruling communist party.

Videos on socia media show residents walking and at times running through the streets of Morón, in the province of Ciego de Avila, shouting anti-government slogans in the middle of a blackout late night Friday and early morning Saturday,

Authorities say a local communist party office was lit on fire during rare antigovernment demonstration on the island.

Cuba has grappled with blackouts, fuel shortages and scarce food supplies as the U.S. blocks oil deliveries to the island.

Marco Rubio links U.S. sanctions on Cuba to political change as the island nation faces widespread blackouts and economic crisis affecting millions of citizens.

Cuba is open to having a fluid commercial relationship with U.S. companies" and "also with Cubans residing in the United States and their descendants," Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga said in an interview in Havana.