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News Topical,Digital Desk : The situation is now getting better after the power outage in some parts of Spain and Portugal. However, the governments of both these countries have imposed an emergency. Due to the massive power cut in some parts of Spain and Portugal, flights were not able to take off, public transport was shut down and some hospitals had to postpone routine operations.
People trapped inside lifts in Madrid
Spain's Madrid region carried out 286 rescue operations on Monday to free people trapped inside lifts during a sudden nationwide blackout, the head of the regional government said.
Help is still needed for 11 trains
Power outages in Spain and Portugal on Monday disrupted rail traffic, jammed roads, stalled subway trains and left people stranded in lifts. Spain's transport minister said 11 trains were stranded with passengers on board, nearly nine hours after the power outage hit the Iberian Peninsula on Monday.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente wrote on X that 11 trains still needed help. Power has been restored to the control center in Atocha (station).
Most facilities in Spain and Portugal came to a standstill
The blackout brought most services in Spain and Portugal to a standstill on Monday. Metro and railway trains stopped, telephone services were disrupted, traffic lights and ATMs went out of order. Millions of people were affected. It also forced the suspension of play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament.
Spain's airports remain closed
Spain's airports were running on backup and some flights were delayed. A Euro News report indicated a problem with the European electric grid. Meanwhile, power was restored to parts of central Madrid after being out for about eight hours. Spain's electricity distributor Red Electrica declined to speculate on the cause of the blackout.
The Portuguese National Cyber Security Centre said there were no indications the outage was caused by a cyber attack. Red Electrica's operations chief Eduardo Prieto described the incident as extraordinary.
Portuguese cabinet calls emergency meeting at Prime Minister's residence
The Portuguese Cabinet held an emergency meeting at the prime minister's residence and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited electricity distributor Red Electrica to oversee efforts to restore grid operations. Spain's public broadcaster RTVE said power was disrupted in several regions of the country after noon local time, leaving newsrooms, the Spanish Parliament in Madrid and metro stations across the country in the dark.
Empty trains are seen at stations in Barcelona
Videos on Spanish television showed people leaving metro stations in Madrid and empty trains at stations in Barcelona. Spain's state-run airline Iberia Airlines said it had to cancel 23 flights. Spain's interior ministry declared a state of emergency on Monday after power cuts hit much of the Iberian Peninsula.
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