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Madrid: A massive blackout swept across Spain and Portugal on Monday, crippling public transport, delaying flights, halting metros, and affecting mobile services across the Iberian Peninsula. Parts of southern France also briefly experienced outages.
Metro systems in Madrid, Lisbon, and Porto were completely suspended, worsening traffic as signals failed. Emergency generators kept hospitals running, courts paused work, and passengers were stranded at airports and train stations. In Madrid, office buildings—including the British Embassy—were evacuated amid widespread confusion.
Although power was restored in most areas within a few hours, the blackout caused significant delays in flights and rail services. Authorities in Spain, Portugal, and France are jointly investigating the cause and improving coordination for future emergencies.
Timeline of Events: The outage struck shortly after 12:30 p.m. local time, affecting urban and rural regions alike. Airports like Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat switched to backup systems as flight delays cascaded throughout the afternoon.
Sporting events, including the Madrid Open, were abruptly suspended when scoreboards and broadcast equipment lost power, forcing players such as Grigor Dimitrov and Jacob Fearnley off the courts.
Portugal’s REN confirmed widespread disruption to the electricity supply, while Spain’s Red Eléctrica said emergency restoration plans were immediately activated in collaboration with European partners.
Public Response: Madrid’s mayor urged residents to minimize road travel as stalled traffic lights created major safety risks. In Lisbon and Porto, metro systems ground to a halt, leaving passengers stranded inside trains.
Meanwhile, Lisbon Airport operated on backup generators, and Spanish airport authority AENA reported nationwide flight delays.
France’s grid operator RTE confirmed that southern areas briefly lost power but were quickly restored. Investigations into the root cause of the incident are ongoing.
Spain’s grid chief, Eduardo Prieto, warned that full restoration efforts could take 6 to 10 hours, while authorities continue managing traffic and commuter safety.
