BARCELONA - A blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, stop-ping trains, cutting phone service and shutting down traffic lights and ATMs for millions of people across the Iberian Peninsula.
Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica declined to speculate on the cause and said restoring power fully could take six to 10 hours. Head of operations Eduardo Prieto told journalists it was unprecedented, calling the event “exceptional and extraordinary”.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said a “strong oscillation” in the European grid was behind the outage but the cause was still being determined. He asked the public to refrain from speculation, and urged people to call emergency services only if really necessary.
It was the second serious European power outage in less than six weeks after a March 20 fire shut down Heathrow Airport in the UK, and it came as authorities across Europe gird against sabotage backed by Russia. (Jamaica Gleaner)
