Power Play: Iberian Peninsula Plunged into Darkness

A major blackout hit Spain and Portugal, causing chaos as flights, transport, and mobile services were severely disrupted. Power was largely restored by morning, but questions remain about the cause. Residents faced difficulties from communication to access to cash, amid government reassurances and ongoing investigations into the outage.

In an extraordinary event that disrupted everyday life across Spain and Portugal, a massive blackout plunged the nations into chaos late Monday night. Power outages halted flights, immobilized metro systems, and disrupted mobile communications, affecting millions.

As Spain took the brunt, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez assured citizens of ongoing efforts to restore power, which was nearly back to full capacity by early Tuesday. The outage stranded commuters and travelers alike, with scenes of people sleeping in train stations and relying on battery-powered radios for updates.

While the initial disruption caused panic and inconvenience, the search for answers continues. Both Spanish and Portuguese officials are investigating the cause of the failure, ruling out cyber sabotage but acknowledging the severity of the event. The blackout brought forth challenges from cash shortages to medical emergencies, drawing comparisons to other recent European outages.

(With inputs from agencies.)