Power Restored in Spain and Portugal After Historic Blackout

ower Restored Across Spain and Portugal After Unprecedented Blackout

Power is gradually returning to Spain and Portugal after an unprecedented blackout crippled essential services across the Iberian peninsula on Monday. The outage, which struck around 12:33pm local time (11:33 BST), brought major disruptions to hospitals, banking systems, transportation networks, and public infrastructure.

Hospitals postponed routine operations but relied on generators to support critical cases. Electronic banking systems remained functional through backup networks, although most ATMs were rendered inoperable.

Scenes across Madrid and Lisbon echoed the chaos of the 2003 US north-east blackout. Rail services were halted, air traffic faced major disruptions, and traffic lights across cities failed. Hundreds of people had to be rescued from elevators stuck mid-operation.

In Madrid, Mayor José Luis Martinez-Almeida urged residents to stay put to allow emergency vehicles to move freely through the city. "It is essential that the emergency services can circulate," he said.

The blackout left travelers stranded across the peninsula as subways, airports, and buses ceased operations. Even major events were affected, including a suspension of play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the failure, with initial reports ruling out a cyber-attack.