Spain and Portugal were hit by a power outage on Monday that paralyzed public transport, caused major traffic jams and flight delays. Currently, public utility operators are trying to restore the power grid.
Authorities have not been able to explain the cause of the power outage, although they have not ruled out the possibility that the outage was caused by a cyberattack. While officials said investigations were ongoing, a crisis committee was set up in Spain to manage the situation, according to Reuters sources.
The governments of Spain and Portugal called extraordinary cabinet meetings after the outage, which also temporarily affected part of France, on the northeastern border with Spain.
Matches at the Madrid Open tennis tournament were suspended, forcing Grigor Dimitrov and his British opponent Jacob Fearnley to leave the court after the scoreboards went out and cameras lost power.
Spanish radio stations reported that part of the Madrid metro was being evacuated, while there were traffic jams in central Madrid after traffic lights were out of order, Cadena Ser radio reported.
Hundreds of people stood outside office buildings on the streets of Madrid and there was an increased police presence around major buildings, directing traffic as well as patrolling main roads, according to a Reuters witness.
One of the four towers in Madrid that houses the British Embassy had been evacuated, the witness added.
Local radio stations reported people trapped in subway cars and stuck elevators.
Portuguese police said traffic lights were affected across the country, the metro was closed in Lisbon and Porto, and trains were not running.
Lisbon's metro operator, Metropolitano de Lisboa, said the metro had come to a complete halt while people were still inside the trains, according to the newspaper Publico.
A source from the airline TAP Air in Portugal said Lisbon airport was operating with backup generators, while AENA, which manages 46 airports in Spain, reported flight delays across the country.
In France, electricity network operator RTE said there had been a brief power outage, but supply had been restored.
Portuguese electricity grid operator REN confirmed a power outage across the Iberian Peninsula that also affected part of France, while Spanish grid operator Red Electrica said it was working with regional energy companies to restore power supplies.
"All plans for the gradual restoration of energy supply have been activated, in coordination with European energy producers and operators," a REN spokesperson said.
"REN is in constant contact with official entities, namely the National Civil Protection Authority. At the same time, the possible causes of this incident are being assessed," he said. (A2 Televizion)
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