Nighttime view of city buildings and distant mountains.
Share and Follow

CHEERS erupted across Spain and Portugal on Monday night as electricity finally flickered back to life following a colossal blackout that plunged the Iberian peninsula into darkness.

The major outage brought two nations to a grinding halt — grounding flights, crippling public transport, knocking out hospitals, and shuttering stores from Lisbon to Barcelona.

Nighttime view of city buildings and distant mountains.

Electricity finally returned to Spain and Portugal after a major outageCredit: X
Lisbon Wine Hotel at night with people celebrating outside.

People cheered as power came back to the streets of LisbonCredit: X
Night view of city buildings with skyscrapers in the background.

Cheers also erupted in Madrid when the power returned on Monday nightCredit: X

The cause of the massive blackout, which began around 10.33am UK time, remains unclear.

Spain’s Interior Ministry declared a national emergency and deployed 30,000 police to maintain order as both governments held emergency cabinet meetings.

“This is something that has never happened before,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

About 61% of Spain’s power was restored by Monday night, with electricity returning first to the Basque Country, Barcelona, and parts of Madrid.

In Portugal, grid operator REN confirmed 85 out of 89 substations were back online, including the capital Lisbon.

On the streets, people celebrated. Some cooked meals by candlelight, others flocked to plazas in impromptu gatherings, and supermarket shelves were stripped bare as residents rushed to stock up.

But what caused both countries to plunge into darkness is still unknown.

“There could be a thousand and one causes, it’s premature to assess the cause,” said Joao Conceicao, a board member of Portugal’s grid operator REN.

He suggested, however, the blackout may have begun with a “very large oscillation in electrical voltage, first in the Spanish system, which then spread to the Portuguese system”.

Spain’s grid operator REE pointed to a connection failure with France.

“The extent of the loss of power was beyond what European systems are designed to handle and caused a disconnection of the Spanish and French grids, which in turn led to the collapse of the Spanish electric system,” said REE’s Eduardo Prieto.

Pedro Sanchez revealed Spain lost 15GW of electricity in just five seconds – equivalent to 60% of the country’s demand.

“Technicians were working to figure out why that sudden drop occurred,” he said.

Despite swirling rumours of sabotage, Portuguese PM Luis Montenegro said there was “no indication” of a cyberattack.

Still, Sanchez confirmed he had spoken to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte as a precaution.

BLACKOUT CHAOS

The fallout was swift and widespread.

Trains were cancelled, metros shut down, and traffic lights across both countries went dark.

In Madrid, residents took to the streets in reflective vests to direct traffic, and some were trapped in stalled metro cars and elevators.

Hospitals in Madrid and Catalonia suspended all routine operations but kept emergency rooms running on backup generators.

Several oil refineries shut down, while big retailers like IKEA and Lidl closed their doors.

Sanchez later said around 35,000 train passengers had been rescued, with 11 trains still stuck in remote areas.

Play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was also suspended.

Online, Portugal’s internet traffic plunged 90% and Spain’s dropped 80%, according to Cloudflare Radar.

The Bank of Spain assured the public that electronic banking was still functioning “adequately” on backup systems.

While the lights are slowly coming back on, the full cause and cost of the outage remain under investigation.

Prieto warned it could take “several hours” for systems to fully stabilise.

BRITS IN DARKNESS

Brits abroad have had their holidays severely disrupted by the outages, and can’t even enjoy a pint to calm them down amidst the panic.

Melanie Halsall was on the last day of a padel trip with six pals to Vale de Lobo, southern Portugal, and can’t get back into the hotel room.

Unlike holidaymakers in Benidorm it seems, she and her pals say they have “beer and biscuits” to live off during the carnage.

Melanie told The Sun: “We were on a walk when suddenly everything went out.

“We can’t buy anything because the card machines aren’t working – not even water or ice cream. But we have got beer and biscuits so we’re surviving on that.

“Everyone is saying it’s a Russian cyber attack. It’s quite worrying. We’re all mums and need to contact our families, but our phones are about to run out and we can’t charge them.”

Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Moment drug smugglers set fire to own yacht to destroy huge cocaine haul after being chased by cop boat off hols hotspot

THIS is the dramatic moment drug smugglers set their own yacht alight…

Couple found dead in their own wine cellar after deadly mishap while they prepared to host July 4 party

A COUPLE has been found dead in their wine cellar after a…

Israel bombs hijacked Brit ship Galaxy Leader seized by Houthis in devastating wave of airstrikes against terror group

ISRAEL has bombed the hijacked Brit ship Galaxy Leader seized by Houthis…

Ted Cruz faces criticism for vacationing in Greece while Texas experiences severe floods, acknowledges mistake.

Senator Ted Cruz was once again caught vacationing as a crisis struck…

Female cyclist defends podium protest against undisclosed transgender competitor, leaving audience shocked

Female cyclist Julie Cutts Peterson has defended her decision to ‘take a stand’…

The America Party Faces a Quiet Exit, not a Dramatic Farewell

Even President Trump has rushed out a Truth Social post criticizing Musk: …

Trump rages against Musk over third party, megabill opposition: 'TRAIN WRECK'

President Trump on Sunday issued a lengthy Truth Social post attacking former…

Bloodthirsty Putin pounding Ukraine with close to 1,000 missiles and kamikaze drones a DAY in brazen defiance of Trump

RUSSIA could soon hammer Ukraine with 1,000 drones and missiles every day…