Major power outage: almost all of Spain and Portugal in darkness

Large parts of Spain and Portugal have been without electricity since Monday afternoon due to a major network fault. The cause is not yet known, but authorities at this time do not rule out a cyber attack.

The consequences for daily life in Spain and Portugal were significant on Monday. Trains and metro trains came to a standstill, traffic lights went out, and people were trapped in lifts. At Lisbon Airport, not a single plane landed before 4:30 p.m. The airports in Barcelona reduced the number of incoming flights to twenty per hour, and emergency generators had to be deployed.

It will take six to ten hours before the entire country has power again, according to the Spanish network operator Red Eléctrica on Monday afternoon. "We are facing an unprecedented challenge," said director Eduardo Prieto. As a result, Spaniards and Portuguese will hopefully have power again late Monday evening.

(FVDV - Source: EL PAÍS - Illustration: ©Unsplash)