Widespread blackout triggers transport chaos and emergency response
Spain and Portugal were plunged into darkness on Monday after a massive power outage disrupted public transport, triggered traffic chaos, and delayed airline operations. Authorities and utility operators rushed to restore electricity across the affected regions.
The Spanish and Portuguese governments quickly convened emergency cabinet meetings following the outage, which also briefly impacted parts of France along its northeastern border with Spain.
Portugal’s utility REN confirmed a widespread electricity cut across the Iberian Peninsula, while Spain’s grid operator Red Eléctrica reported efforts underway with regional energy companies to bring the network back online.
“All plans for the phased restoration of energy supply are being activated, in coordination with European energy producers and operators,” a REN spokesperson said.
“REN is in permanent contact with official entities, namely the National Civil Protection Authority. At the same time, the possible causes of this incident are being assessed.”
Evacuations and major disruptions reported across cities
Spanish radio stations reported that parts of Madrid’s underground network were evacuated. Traffic in the Madrid city center ground to a halt as traffic lights failed, according to Cadena SER Radio.
Hundreds of office workers spilled onto the streets of Madrid, while police maintained a heavy presence around key buildings, directing traffic manually and patrolling main avenues with flashing lights, a Reuters witness reported.
One of the four prominent tower buildings in Madrid, which houses the British Embassy, was also evacuated, the witness said.
Local media further reported that people were trapped inside stalled metro cars and elevators.
Portugal and France also impacted
Portuguese authorities said traffic lights failed across the country, metros were shut down in Lisbon and Porto, and train services came to a standstill.
Lisbon’s subway operator, Metropolitano de Lisboa, confirmed that subway trains were immobilized with passengers still on board, according to the newspaper Público.
At Lisbon airport, TAP Air sources said operations were relying on backup generators. Meanwhile, AENA, the company managing Spain’s 46 airports, reported flight delays throughout the country.
In France, grid operator RTE confirmed a brief power outage but said electricity had been restored. It is continuing to investigate the cause.
