Spain and Portugal were hit by a major power outage on Monday, leaving millions without electricity, Euro News reported. The outage has been attributed to issues within the European electric grid, although the exact cause remains unclear.
Official sources in Portugal informed domestic media that the outage was nationwide. Similar disruptions have been reported across Spain. Barajas International Airport in Madrid lost power, impacting operations, while telecommunications services were also disrupted. Other airports in the region came to a standstill as well.
Several passengers were left stranded in metro systems in the capitals of Spain and Portugal, with trains halted in tunnels between stations, according to Euronews Portugal.
The Spanish government convened an emergency session at Moncloa and is actively monitoring the situation, Euronews Spain reported. Additionally, citizens in Andorra and areas of France bordering Spain have also reported blackouts. Outages have even been reported as far as Belgium.
The exact cause of the outage remains under investigation. While issues with the European electric grid have been highlighted by domestic media, a fire in the southwest of France, on the Alaric mountain, which damaged a high-voltage power line between Perpignan and eastern Narbonne, is also being considered a possible cause for the disruption.