Trains grind to halt, flights delayed amid Spain-Portugal power outage, US man captures chaos in viral video

Indian Express

29-04-2025

A massive power outage brought Spain and Portugal to a standstill on Monday, throwing daily life across the Iberian Peninsula into chaos. Public transportation, including metro rail and trains, came to a halt, traffic signals failed, airports faced serious delays, and even ATMs and mobile services went down. Parts of southern France also briefly felt the impact.
The outage, which began around 12.30 pm local time, affected cities big and small across the peninsula. The Barajas airport in Spanish capital Madrid, and the El Prat airport in Barcelona had to switch to backup power, delaying flights throughout the afternoon.
Among those caught in the disruption was Evan Beckerman, co-founder of an automotive parts retailer, who shared his experience on Instagram. Posting a video from a crowded train station, he wrote, 'Total power outage across Spain and Portugal… Currently waiting for a train to Valencia but EVERYTHING on pause… Now we wait.' His footage captured scenes of confusion as passengers with their luggage stood around, waiting for updates.
Watch the video:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Evan Beckerman (@evanbeckerman)
The blackout disrupted mobile networks in Spain and Portugal, making communication difficult and adding to the disorder.
Train services were thrown into disarray. As reported by Euronews Portugal, some trains were stranded mid-tunnel between stations, leaving passengers trapped underground in Lisbon and Madrid. Portuguese police later confirmed that metro rail services in Lisbon and Porto had been suspended, while traffic lights across the country stopped working, creating widespread traffic jams, according to Reuters.
In response to the growing crisis, the Spanish government convened an emergency meeting at Moncloa Palace to monitor the unfolding situation, Euronews Spain reported.
The effects were not confined to Spain and Portugal. Nearby Andorra and regions of southern France also experienced outages, and there were even reports of brief disruptions reaching as far as Belgium. The incident raised fresh alarms about the vulnerability of Europe's interconnected power grids.
Social media quickly lit up with memes and jokes about the blackout as users found humour amid the frustration.
Everyone from Spain and Portugal coming to 𝕏 to confirm the blackout pic.twitter.com/6bDEJxwkuh
— Venus 🌕 (@invincible39) April 28, 2025
no electricity in portugal and spain and my phone is about to die. goodbye world pic.twitter.com/MhiwASD3WP
— freda (@goldenfools) April 28, 2025
Power outage cuts off Coco Gauff mid sentence too. The nerve 😮😬 https://t.co/XTVWBUuWAr
— AMB (@AnnemarieBatson) April 28, 2025
Sporting events were not spared either. At the Madrid Open tennis tournament, a match between 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov and Britain's Jacob Fearnley had to be paused when scoreboards went dark and cameras lost power.
Meanwhile, Cadena SER Radio reported that sections of Madrid's underground metro rail were evacuated, and traffic gridlock worsened due to the loss of traffic signals.
The exact cause of the power outage is unclear and still a subject of investigation. Early reports suggest a problem with the electricity connection between France and Spain could be one of the contributing factors to the outage, a representative of an industry body that represents Europe's power sector said.