Reuters
Police tell travelers that Atucha Station in Madrid is closed due to a halt
A massive blackout hit much of Spain and Portugal on Monday, causing widespread disruption and confusion.
The outages also saw a decline in internet and telephone networks, but millions of people lost their electricity.
Trains have been cancelled in some areas, evacuated, and signal traffic is no longer working as delays increase at airports.
Shops, houses and restaurants have plunged into the darkness – and some people are stuck on the lift – Spanish power networks said it could take hours of resilience in the afternoon.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the cause remained unknown, but that there were “no signs” of a cyberattack.
When did the stop start?
The suspension began on Monday around noon (13:00 BST), and the effects quickly escalated.
With the scale of the disruption revealed, Madrid residents should stay away from the roads and avoid calling emergency services unless it is “really urgent.”
The Spanish operator said it would take up to 10 hours to recover, but Portuguese power company Ren said it would take up to a week to return to full power.
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Police enforced the order as power cuts affected public transport in Madrid
There have been reports that card payments have been suspended, resulting in queues formed with cash equipment being stopped and some gas stations have been closed.
Spanish media reported that some hospitals had implemented emergency plans, including halting daily operations, news outlets reported.
After an early evening and several hours of blackouts, some residents of the country reported that the light had returned.
“Electricity was being restored in several areas, north, south and west.” [Iberian] The Spanish grid operator said.
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Working in the darkness quickly became the standard for workers at this shop in Burgos, Spain
Authorities in Spain and Portuguese are still trying to resolve the reasons that caused the blackout.
At this point, “there are no signs of a cyberattack,” said Antonio Costa, president of the Council of Europe.
Panic spread early in the day, and residents of Madrid were warned to people to leave the road.
In a social media video, Spain’s chief city chief Jose Luis Martinez Almeida said, “We want to maintain absolute minimum movement and stay wherever possible, wherever they are. We want to keep all the roads clear.”
He said if it’s “really urgent,” people should call emergency services.
“If the emergency call is not answered, we’ll go straight to the police and the fire department and try to deal with all the emergency there.”
What was the impact?
The country’s nuclear power plants automatically stopped when the blackout hit, and Maube, a Spanish oil company, said it had stopped operations at the oil refinery.
Some airports also affected flights with delays and cancellations. Easyjet said it is experiencing disruptions in its operations in Lisbon and Madrid. He said the situation was “fluid” and told customers to check local advice.
Companies are suffering seriously. Several IKEA branches in Spain switched to backup generators and stopped customers from entering stores.
The organizers of Madrid’s open tennis have decided to cancel the event on Monday.
Elsewhere, Andorra and parts of France were also attacked, but the Balearic and Canary Islands were not affected.
