People attempt to board a crowded bus on Monday in Lisbon, Portugal, after the subway came to a halt during a widespread power outage. (AP Photo/Armando Franca) Armando Franca/AP hide caption
BARCELONA, Spain - Spain and Portugal experienced a significant power outage on Monday, impacting their capitals and causing disruptions to subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights, and ATM machines.
This outage, affecting the Iberian peninsula, is being evaluated by Spanish generator Red Eléctrica. The incident is considered rare due to its widespread nature.
With a combined population of over 50 million people, the exact number of individuals affected by the outage was not immediately determined.
RTVE, Spain's public broadcaster, reported that various regions experienced a major power outage, leaving landmarks like Spain's parliament and subway stations in darkness.
Spain's electricity network website displayed a drastic drop in demand around midday, indicating a significant decrease in power consumption.
Efforts to restore power were underway in both Spain and Portugal, with the electricity network operator working towards a gradual recovery of the electricity supply.
In Portugal, the outage affected the capital, Lisbon, as well as other regions in the country, leading to disruptions in daily activities and services.
Officials in Portugal attributed the outage to issues outside the country, particularly in Spain, as investigations into the root cause of the problem continued.
Portuguese distributor E-Redes mentioned that the outage was linked to a broader problem within the European electricity system, necessitating targeted power cuts for stability.
France also experienced some impact from the outage, according to E-Redes, the Portuguese distribution company.
Reports from Lisbon indicated the evacuation of subway cars, along with disruptions to court proceedings, ATMs, electronic payments, and mobile phone networks.
Despite the challenges, efforts were made to restore power and services gradually while investigating the cause of the widespread outage.
