Millions of people were left without power after a massive blackout hit mainland Spain on Monday, bringing transport services and businesses to a halt.
Towns and cities across mainland Spain were affected by the massive outage which hit at around 12.30pm on Monday.
The cause of the blackout is still under investigation and authorities say it is likely to take up to 10 hours to restore the power to all regions.
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A Police officer gestures to organise traffic during a massive power cut, which also knocked out traffic lights leading to widespread traffic jams. Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP
The power outages brought transport services to a halt with trains stopped and city public transport blocked – police in cities were deployed to rescue Metro passengers stuck in tunnels. There were widespread traffic jams as traffic lights went out.
Staff stand in a closed pharmacy with no lights. Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP
Businesses were forced to close with card payments affected and there were reports of shops in Madrid closing up for fear of looting.
Hospitals, which usually have their own generators, were mostly able to continue as normal but non-emergency medical services were suspended.
Local residents attempt to manually open the gate of an underground parking lot during a massive power cut in Vigo, northwestern Spain. Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP
Police asked people to remain at home and avoid calling the emergency services unless completely necessary, as networks became overwhelmed.
Customers buy gas bottles in a petrol station. Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP
The power outages also affected Portugal and some homes in France’s Pays Basque, although the French electricity network operator said that power to the French homes was quickly restored.
🇪🇸🇵🇹🇫🇷 — De vastes zones d’Espagne, du Portugal et de France subissent des pannes de courant.
➡️Les stations de radio espagnoles ont ordonné l’évacuation du métro de Madrid, et le métro de Lisbonne au Portugal est en cours d’évacuation.
➡️Des embouteillages sont signalés dans… pic.twitter.com/3Zu8hoW5Eg
— OSINTYB (@OsintYB) April 28, 2025
The French network operator RTE said it was working with Spain to help restore power to the grid.
