A massive blackout hit Spain and Portugal on Monday afternoon, suddenly closing daily activities, halting trains and subways, blocking traffic lights, closing stores, cancelling or delaying several flights.
The electricity closed around 12:30pm and then closed around Central European time, overseeing tens of millions of people across the Iberian Peninsula, and authorities were at a loss as to the cause, but some denied foul plays.
“At this point, there are no indications of a cyberattack,” wrote Antonio Costa, president of the Council of Europe, about X after communicating with Spanish and Portuguese leaders. “Grid operators from both countries are working to discover the causes and restore power supply.”
By Monday evening, parts of northern and southern Spain had been back to life with the help of electricity coming from Morocco and France, with Red Eleclika, the Spanish national utility, saying it was slowly recovering across the country. Late Monday night, President Pedro Sanchez said “virtually 50% of the electricity supply has recovered.”
In Portugal, electricity and gas supplier Ren has announced that power has been reconnected to two important substations near Lisbon, with Greater Porto residents coming back online soon.
The suspension had a temporary impact on France. RTE, a French electric grid operator, said in a statement that while some households in the Basque region lost power, “all power has recovered.”
Still, others remained in the darkness.
The response across the region has ranged from desperate stockpiling to confused confusion, to calmly diving into a traditional, electricityless lifestyle.
There were extensive problems connecting to internet and telephone networks in Spain and Portugal. The lack of access to information was perplexed by many
“The worst part is not knowing what’s going on,” Lucia Plisco said. “This is the first time I’ve ever experienced something like this.”
As soon as the electricity was cut off, long lines began to form on the outside of the ATM. The Spanish Transport Authority pointed out on X and asked residents to “avoid driving as much as possible,” but many people were unable to access the message.
Shortly after the blackout, footage from the Spanish news media showed scenes of Madrid’s chaos. With traffic lights not working, vehicles blocked the city’s wide, lush streets, and traffic police were improvised and improvised, and did their best to keep things moving. Until late afternoon, commuters chose to abandon their cars and walk instead.
The streets and squares were packed with people on foot. Spanish news media was full of anecdotes. The train passengers were stuck anywhere for hours, getting out of the carriage, waiting for rescue, getting out of the carriage, sitting by the tracks in the sun.
In the city of Valencia, Spain, emergency services rescue people from elevators all day. By 9pm, Valencia City Council announced on social media that everyone trapped in the elevator had been released.
However, the blackout has sent major institutions into crisis management mode. Spanish hospitals had to run on generators. Portuguese banks and schools closed their doors. According to the ATP Tour, Madrid’s open tennis tournament has been suspended.
The Prado Museum was packed as the lights dropped across the Spanish continent. At the time, Spanish television crews were recording shows inside the building. The camera captured the confusion that followed, showing bewildered tourists and school children being guided out of the building by museum staff who were concerned about the safety of the national treasures, including works of art by Francisco Goya and Diego Velázquez.
Train trips were confused throughout Spain. Spain’s national railway company Renfe wrote in a post by X that the trains have stopped operating at all stations. Subways in several cities, including Valencia and Madrid, have also been suspended.
The country’s Minister of Transport, Oscar Puente, said that the railways will remain closed all day at X.
Joe Meat, a professor of geology at the University of Florida, celebrated his 30th anniversary with his wife, Michelle. However, the train they were on suddenly stopped on a rural track somewhere between Madrid and Valencia, he said in a phone interview.
Three hours later, the dining cart was down to beer and some soft drinks, he said.
“We’re not in the water,” said Meert, 67, as he watched some riders get off the train and walk towards the tractors that were supplying water. Train staff were providing news from cars to cars because the speakers stopped working, he said.
“The last thing we heard was that there was no news,” Meert said.
On Monday night, President Sanchez said 35,000 passengers were trapped on about 100 trains. But he said those on 11 trains in more inaccessible locations then still need to be rescued. Sanchez said at a press conference that normal services will be restored by Tuesday, adding that “the long night is ahead of us.”
Earlier on Monday, he said about 20% of Spain’s air traffic was grounded. Some flights were also delayed, but Aena, who manages many Spanish airports, wrote to X.
Millions of people across the region tried to deal with the chaos while still in the sun.
In Lisbon, people competed in grocery stores, filling with water and dried goods. Many were unlucky: some major grocery stores were closed by the afternoon. The small groceries struggled to restock the shelves that were quickly empty. At some counters, the payment system was not working, so store clerks used paper and pen to collect bills manually.
“It’s like when I was younger, 50 years ago,” said Francisco Garcia, 61, a boat restorer who lives in an older part of Lisbon. He added, “It’s a reminder of how dependent we are on something other than our own control.”
For the first 30 minutes, Garcia was able to access news updates on his phone. The news site then crashed, he said. “We’re completely out of power,” he said.
The bank card readers weren’t working, so the only payment was cash – when people had it. At the local grocery store, Rajan Basnett thank the thankful shoppers who have left his empty shelves with the supplies they need, even if they can’t pay.
“It might be me who needs something tomorrow,” said Basnet, who moved from Nepal to Portugal four years ago.
By 3pm the water was gone and most of the fresh vegetables were picked, but he still had a line of fish, crackers and cookies.
Due to a blackout, the courts in Murcia in southeastern Spain have been closed, cancelling children’s activities and cultural events. Police officers were stationed at major intersections to directly access traffic.
From the dark hallways of City Hall, City spokesperson Maria Contreras said: “Nobody’s security cameras are working. Nothing is working. There’s no traffic lights, nothing.
Despite the confusion, many seemed to adapt to the confusion. In Murcia we had a picnic in the park. The restaurant’s terrace was full. And although the daylight was still bright and bright, I practiced with the light flowing through the window, so indoor flamenco classes continued.
In downtown Lisbon, the sounds emanating from Barberia Oliveira were much softer than the usual Clipper talk. The barber was calmly cutting his hair with scissors. They questioned loudly whether blackouts were an issue of infrastructure, natural disasters, or international interference.
“The Portuguese are pretty relaxed about most things,” said Diogo Cardoso, one of the barbers. “It will take some time before we are surprised.”
On top of that, he added with a laugh. “It doesn’t always work in Portugal anyway. If this is Belgium, that might not be the case.”
Another barber, Nuno Alves, said that there was a huge concern after the blackout was over.
“We can handle the blackout,” he said. “But the worst thing is if they don’t fully explain what happened.”
Reported by Ephrat Livni, Tiago Carrasco and Nazaneen Ghaffar.
