Watch: People left reeling in chaos as major blackout disrupts lives in Spain, Portugal, and France

A massive power outage on Monday has left millions across Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France reeling in chaos, with widespread disruptions to transport and communication systems.

Videos circulating on social media show people walking in the dark through subway stations, airports, and city streets as the outage paralyzed services, including flights and public transit. Crowds could be seen forced to walk on the streets as public transport came to a standstill.

Widespread power outages in large parts of Spain, Portugal and France have left play at the Madrid Open suspended and fans in the dark 👀

As of now, it's unclear what caused the blackout.pic.twitter.com/HDtGIzmZYE

— DW Sports (@dw_sports) April 28, 2025

There was a major power outage in almost all of Western Europe.

There was a power outage across 🇪🇸Spain, 🇵🇹Portugal, 🇦🇩Andorra and 🇫🇷France.

Airports, trains & mobile networks hit; Andorra & SW France affected too. pic.twitter.com/O0LsCBjJsr

— Sumit (@SumitHansd) April 28, 2025

⚡ MASSIVE BLACKOUT IN EUROPE

Residents in Spain, Portugal, France, and Belgium report major outages.
Airports and subways shut down, communication networks hit.
Madrid's Barajas Airport is out of service, El Mundo reports.
No official cause confirmed yet. Chaos unfolds. pic.twitter.com/vZyJOjhEwj

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 28, 2025

The blackout, which began around 12.30 PM local time, affected critical infrastructure in several regions. Spain's state electricity network operator, Red Electrica, confirmed the restoration of power to the northern and southern regions, but communications were severely impacted, with multiple services experiencing delays and cancellations.

In Spain, Madrid's Barajas International Airport and several regional airports lost power, while metro stations across the country saw trains immobilized, trapping passengers between stations. The outage also reached Lisbon and surrounding areas, with Portugal’s national distributor, E-Redes, attributing the disruption to "a problem with the European electricity system ." The company initiated selective power cuts to stabilize the network.

In both countries, public transportation systems came to a standstill. Metro services halted in Lisbon, and non-functioning traffic lights caused significant congestion in cities. The Spanish Parliament and RTVE’s newsroom were also affected, as well as local communities in Barcelona, where residents shared outage updates via WhatsApp.

While service is being gradually restored, authorities have not yet provided an estimate of the number of individuals impacted or a clear timeline for full recovery. The Spanish government has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the blackout, with Prime Minister's office officials continuing to monitor the situation closely.