Blackout in Europe, chaos in Spain, Portugal and France
A day of great tension has overwhelmed Spain, Portugal and part of the France: a vast Blackout has paralyzed transportation, supermarkets, hospitals and critical infrastructure, raising the possibility of a possible attacco informatico.
Authorities are working to restore power and ensure essential services, while the situation is evolving rapidly with traffic jams, evacuations and emergency plans activated on multiple levels.
@the Republic A massive blackout has blocked Spain. All Internet services have been cut off and chaos and disorder are reported at Madrid airport. According to government sources, the government is investigating the reasons for the mass blackout, but is unable to provide any information on the reasons that caused the blackout that affected several regions of the peninsula. Similar problems also occurred in some areas of France and Portugal. #blackout #Madrid #Spain ♬ original sound – la.repubblica
Sudden blackout in Spain, subways evacuated and traffic paralyzed
Madrid Metro evacuated
Shortly after midday, a sudden Blackout hit the whole Spain, leaving millions of people in the dark. The Madrid Metro it was immediately evacuated for safety reasons, while rail traffic on the network Suburban Rail it's completely blocked.
The railway operator Renfe confirmed the total interruption of regional and urban connections, further worsening the emergency situation throughout the capital.
Traffic paralyzed in Spain with traffic jams and traffic lights out
The blackout caused the total shutdown of traffic lights in the city of Madrid, provoking gigantic traffic jams on all major urban arteries. The streets quickly filled with vehicles forced to proceed at a walking pace, with the constant risk of accidents.
The situation immediately appeared critical, also due to the failure of many traffic management infrastructures.
The appeal of the General Directorate of Traffic
La General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) launched an urgent appeal to the population, inviting them to do not drive unless strictly necessary.
With all traffic light systems down and traffic severely affected, authorities have stressed the importance of keeping private traffic to a minimum to avoid further disruption and ensure access for emergency vehicles.
The situation in Portugal and France: airports and trains in chaos
Airport disruptions and rail chaos
The blackout did not even spare the Portugalwhere they occurred serious inconvenience especially atLisbon Airport, with thousands of passengers stranded and numerous flights delayed or cancelled. The national railway network has also suffered heavy disruptions, stopping the main connections from the north to the south of the country. The situation is also critical at the airports of Madrid Barajas e Barcelona-El Prat, where some flights have been suspended or cancelled.
Here are the closed airports:
- Lisbon Airport
- Madrid Barajas Airport
- Barcelona El Prat Airport
Blackout also in the south of France
Even the south of the France was hit by the blackout that hit the Iberian Peninsula. The disruptions were concentrated mainly in the region ofOccitania, particularly in the area of Perpignan, known as French Catalonia.
Some municipalities have experienced significant power outages, impacting transportation and essential services, further exacerbating the impact of this anomalous energy emergency.
Supermarket and retail emergency: cash only payments and closures
With the blackout that has paralyzed much of the Spain, Numerous supermarkets they had to to close or limit activities. Some outlets, such as those of the chain El Corte Ingles, continued to operate but accepting cash payments only.
Supermarkets Day have decided to close completely the shops, maintaining only a reduced activity in the warehouses. Carrefour, on the other hand, managed to keep the large hypermarkets open, managing the smaller outlets on a case-by-case basis.
A Seville, the blackout has put in serious difficulty bar e restaurants, left without electricity and unable to properly store food in their switched-off refrigerators. Some establishments have decided to temporarily close, while those who had emergency generators attempted to maintain business.
Alarm is growing among restaurateurs over the risk of lose large quantities of fresh food, with heavy economic consequences. Even the ferries along the Guadalquivir , subway town were blocked, further worsening the situation.
What is the situation of hospitals and nuclear power plants: emergency energy holds
Despite the severity of the blackout, the public health system of Community of Madrid he managed to keep the essential services thanks to the use of emergency electric generators. Hospitals like the Puerta de Hierro of Majadahonda e La Paz confirmed the regular functioning of emergency activities. However, some health centers minors have reported difficulties, as they do not have alternative feeding systems. The regional health authority has reassured that no cases have been recorded serious accidents.
Stop the nuclear power plants
In response to the emergency, all nuclear power plants operational in Spain have electricity production stopped for security reasons. According to sources from the National Security Council, the internal functioning of the systems was ensured through the use of generators, necessary to keep the reactors' control and cooling functions active. In total, 1,000 reactors are active in the country five plants within seven reactors.
First hypotheses: investigation into a possible Hacker Attack
Investigations by the National Cryptological Center and Incibe
The Spanish authorities have started official investigations to check whether the blackout was caused by a attacco informatico. The National Cryptology Center (CCN), part of the services of intelligence, together withNational Institute for Information Security (Incibe), is analyzing the situation to understand if the electrical system has been hit by a cyber offensiveThese bodies are responsible for the protection of critical infrastructure and have already highlighted an increase in threats in recent months.
In recent months, the Spain has become one of the European countries most affected by cyber attacks, also due to its geopolitical position in relation to conflicts in Ukraine e Gaza.
Authorities believe that the power outage may be linked to these international dynamics. The situation remains under close monitoring by security agencies and those responsible for protecting strategic infrastructure.
The recovery plan: gradual resumption of electricity supply
The national operator Eletricity grid announced that a emergency plan for the progressive restoration of the electricity supply. Through official channels, it has been confirmed that a "zero" in the system, indicative of a total blackout, but that all the emergency protocols have been activated. The reactivation process includes the gradual re-ignition of the generation groups and the reconstruction of the transport network.
Areas where the power has already returned
According to the latest communications, the electricity supply was partially restored in some areas of the north and southern Spain, including the Basque Country, where the power returned after about an hour and a half of interruption. The restoration process continues gradually, with priority given to strategic areas and essential services, while the authorities continue to constantly monitor the evolution of the network.