Spain and Portugal have been hit by a nationwide power outage affecting almost all areas in the neighbouring European nations.
Cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon and more have been left without internet and electricity since around 12:30pm BST, prompting widespread disruption as millions are affected.
Spanish electricity grid operator Red Electrica has confirmed that it is aware of the power outages and says it is working to “gradually” resolve the issue, although reports indicate it is working to a timeframe of six to ten hours.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez has visited the operator’s headquarters to assess the situation, government sources have said.
Data from the Red Electrica website shows demand across the country plummeted at around 12.15pm from 27,500MW to near 15,000MW. The operator has not yet confirmed why the drop has occurred.
Mr Sanchez’s office commented: “The government is working to identify the origin of this incident and dedicating all possible resources to resolve it as quickly as possible.”
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Portuguese distributor E-Redes, meanwhile, says the outage was due to “a problem with the European electricity system,” according to national newspaper Expresso, saying: “this is a wider European problem.”
Across the two countries, public transport, roads and buildings have all been hit as events region-wide have been disrupted or cancelled.
Here are all the impacts still being felt as Portugal and Spain grapple with the power outage:
Trains and metro systems
Critical issues with signalling systems due to the power outage has meant trains and metro systems across Portugal and Spain have had to suspend operations.
People in cities and towns are unable to set out on their planned travels, while many found their journeys disrupted mid-route.
In Barcelona, emergency teams were deployed to evacuate passengers from seven metro trains that were trapped inside tunnels for at least two hours, Spanish newspaper Cadena Ser reports.
Footage shared by a metro user in the southern Spanish city Malaga showed passengers inside a metro tunnel walking to safety after being forced to disembark the service.
Roads: traffic lights and fuel pumps
Authorities in Spain are also grappling with the confusion caused on roads by a mass failure of integral signalling devices like traffic lights.
Spain’s Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) has asked citizens to avoid travel where possibly, and urging extreme caution for those who still need to travel.
Writing on social media the body said: “Due to the power outage, we ask that you avoid driving as much as possible. The power outage prevents traffic lights and road signs from working. Avoid moving as much as possible and be very careful on the road.”
Reports also indicate that charging stations for electric vehicles and petrol fuel pumps are both out of service across both nations.
Airports: flights delayed
Spanish airports are operating on backup electrical systems and some flights are delayed, according to Aena, the company that runs 56 airports in Spain including Madrid and Barcelona.
In the UK, dozens of flights have been cancelled to Spanish and Portuguese destinations, with fears that thousands of passengers could be affected if power is not restored soon.
Internet, ATM machines, card payments
The power outage has also left people in Spain and Portugal stuck without internet and services which require online access to run, like ATM machines and card payments.
Phone signal has also reportedly been lost in some parts of the two countries, leaving people with no methods of communication as they try to navigate the ongoing situation. Local media has described panic amongst parents who have struggled to get in touch with their children’s schools due to the issue.
Supermarkets, museums and government buildings evacuated
Security concerns have prompted authorities to evacuate public buildings en masse across the two nations, in scenes likely unprecedented to most citizens.
Essential utilities like elevators, lights, and air conditioning have stopped working in many buildings, causing health and safety concerns.
Government and business buildings in Madrid have also been evacuated. A heavy police presence reported around key buildings like the Spanish capital’s Cuatro Torres business area, the location of a tower which houses the British Embassy.
Most hospitals are currently operating on back-up generator power, reports indicate, meaning essential health services requiring electricity have been able to continue.
Madrid Open: sporting event
The Madrid Open was forced to suspend play shortly after the power outage as the major tennis tournament was unable to record scores or ensure spectator and player safety.
An ongoing match between Grigor Dimitrov and his British opponent Jacob Fearnley was forced to stop as scoreboards went dark and overhead cameras lost power. A spidercam was also left hanging too close to the court.
The ATP said in a statement: “Two singles matches and one doubles match at the ATP Masters 1000 event were underway when power was lost at 12:34 pm local time.”
