Power began returning to parts of Spain and Portugal late on Monday after a massive blackout paralysed both countries, grounding flights, halting public transport, and suspending hospital operations.
Spain’s Interior Ministry declared a national emergency for regions requesting assistance, including Madrid, Andalusia, and Extremadura. Portugal also convened an emergency cabinet meeting.
The outage, which began around 1033 GMT, triggered chaos in cities, disrupted traffic, and left some metro systems evacuated.
Officials said the cause remains unclear, with no indication of a cyberattack. Portugal’s grid operator REN cited a possible "large oscillation" in Spain’s electrical system that spread to Portugal.
By late evening, electricity was partially restored in Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, and other areas. Priority was given to hospitals and transport networks.
Both Spain and Portugal suffered heavy economic disruption, with businesses shuttered, refineries halted, and airports paralysed.
Parts of southern France also experienced brief outages.
Investigations are ongoing.
Electricity had been restored to most of Spain and Portugal early on Tuesday after huge nationwide blackouts, although authorities were still trying to find out what caused the sudden outage.
Spain’s Interior Ministry declared a state of emergency on Monday after a nationwide power blackout struck much of the Iberian Peninsula.
A major blackout across Spain and Portugal could last 6 to 10 hours, according to Red Electrica. While power is being restored in some areas, the cause of the outage remains unclear, with authorities considering the possibility of a cyberattack.
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Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, announced that India is opening up 200,000 square kilometers of its sedimentary basin for oil and gas exploration, inviting Russian companies to participate.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on May 16 that his country has started the process of joining the New Development Bank of BRICS.
Ministers in Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) are resigning one by one amid mounting protests in Tripoli, Libya Press agency reports
The US Supreme Court on Friday paused President Donald Trump’s attempt to carry out deportations using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, siding with a group of Venezuelan immigrants in Texas who argued they were at risk of sudden removal under the rarely used wartime law.
Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, announced that India is opening up 200,000 square kilometers of its sedimentary basin for oil and gas exploration, inviting Russian companies to participate.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on May 16 that his country has started the process of joining the New Development Bank of BRICS.
Ministers in Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) are resigning one by one amid mounting protests in Tripoli, Libya Press agency reports
The US Supreme Court on Friday paused President Donald Trump’s attempt to carry out deportations using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, siding with a group of Venezuelan immigrants in Texas who argued they were at risk of sudden removal under the rarely used wartime law.
Two North Korean fishermen picked up by South Korean patrols in March remain stranded in the South as Pyongyang refuses to respond to requests for their return.
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