A widespread power outage brought parts of southern Europe to a standstill, plunging millions into confusion and chaos across Spain, Portugal, parts of France, and Andorra. The blackout, which began around midday local time, left commuters stranded, disrupted businesses, and cut off communication networks.
Peter Hughes, a passenger on a train to Madrid, was among the many affected. His train lost power 200 kilometers from the capital. “Emergency lights came on but didn’t last,” he told the BBC. Stranded for hours with limited resources and no functioning toilets, his experience was emblematic of the widespread disarray.
In Madrid, metros shut down, leaving commuters in pitch darkness. Sarah Jovovich, caught in the capital’s metro system, described panic and hysteria as people struggled to understand what was happening. On the streets, traffic ground to a halt as lights failed, and mobile networks faltered, cutting off access to information.
The impact extended far beyond transportation. In supermarkets like Aldi, shoppers were interrupted mid-purchase. Businesses closed as card payment systems failed, and queues formed outside ATMs. For Hannah Lowney, caught shopping during the outage, the scale of the disruption was unprecedented. “It’s a bit disconcerting that it’s the whole country,” she said.
In Lisbon, teacher Emily Thorowgood continued classes at an international school despite flickering lights and eventual darkness. Meanwhile, barber shops, restaurants, and hotels scrambled to adjust. Will David, getting a haircut in a basement barbershop, was moved upstairs for natural light to finish the trim.
Remarkably, the crisis also revealed moments of solidarity. In rural areas between Seville and Madrid, locals brought supplies like water and bread to stranded train passengers. “Nobody is charging for anything,” said traveler Jonathan Emery, describing the generosity of nearby residents.
Though the exact cause of the outage is still under investigation, the suddenness and scale of the disruption have raised serious concerns about grid stability in the region. For now, authorities are working to restore normalcy as Europe reflects on just how dependent modern life has become on uninterrupted electricity.
