Madrid and Barcelona Plunged into Chaos
Internet, ATMs, and Phone Services Also Down
On Monday afternoon, when citizens were busily going about their daily routines, a sudden nationwide blackout instantly turned all of Spain into a lawless zone. Hundreds of tourists and citizens were trapped in trains and subways that had stopped with the lights out, trembling in fear. Spanish media reported that roads without functioning traffic lights became scenes of utter chaos. As some telephone and internet services also went down, people resorted to stopping passersby to borrow mobile phones, and crowds of parents gathered in front of schools to pick up their children early.
On Monday afternoon, when citizens were busily going about their daily lives, a sudden nationwide blackout turned all of Spain into a lawless zone in an instant. Hundreds of tourists and citizens were trapped in trains and subways that stopped with the lights out, trembling in fear. AFP·Yonhap News
On April 28 (local time), Spain's largest daily, El Pais, reported that the worst blackout in history had paralyzed the entire country, throwing major cities such as the capital Madrid, with a population of 7 million, and the second city Barcelona, into total chaos. According to El Pais, as the power went out in the middle of the workday, citizens in Madrid, startled, rushed outside only to discover that not only the traffic lights but also their mobile phones had stopped working, sending them into a panic.
With the traffic lights out of order, the roads turned into a lawless zone where "whoever sped up first won." Crossing intersections became a real adventure for both pedestrians and drivers, and as cars stopped at every signal to avoid collisions, city traffic came to a standstill. Police officers tried to control traffic with hand signals in place of the inoperative lights, but in some areas where no police were present, citizens themselves got out of their cars to direct traffic.
Public transportation comes to a halt, heightening citizens' anxiety
As subways, trains, and other modes of transportation stopped, tourists and commuters found themselves trapped inside vehicles without knowing what was happening. The chaos intensified as citizens who could not take the subway flooded the streets in search of taxis. Due to the ensuing "taxi crisis," it was not uncommon to see stranded pedestrians standing anxiously by the roadside, holding pieces of paper with their destinations written on them.
As subways, trains, and other modes of transportation came to a halt, tourists and commuters found themselves trapped inside vehicles without knowing what was happening. The chaos intensified as citizens who could not take the subway flooded the streets in search of taxis. Reuters·Yonhap News
According to El Pais, a Barcelona resident stuck on the road trying in vain to turn on his car radio reportedly remarked wryly, "Has the end of the world already come?" The blackout, which affected most regions of Spain as well as parts of Portugal and southern France during the day, disrupted not only electricity but also telecommunications networks, including the internet and payment systems. As some mobile carriers experienced outages that rendered even phone calls impossible, people were seen stopping strangers to ask, "Could I borrow your phone to contact my mother?"
As the end of the workday approached, the anxiety of citizens who had not yet been able to return home grew even stronger. Some parents gathered in front of schools to pick up their children before classes ended. On this day, major roads leading into downtown Madrid experienced record traffic congestion starting at 3 p.m., and most shopping malls and stores were closed with their lights off from early afternoon.
As the Spanish government declared a national state of emergency on the day, lines formed at supermarkets and gas stations as people tried to stock up on fuel and emergency food supplies. However, in most stores, card payment machines were not working, causing difficulties even for citizens without cash. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News
As the Spanish government declared a national state of emergency that day, lines formed at supermarkets and gas stations as people tried to stock up on fuel and emergency food supplies. However, in most stores, card payment machines were not working, causing difficulties even for citizens without cash. Long lines also formed in front of bank branches as people tried to withdraw cash. The blackout continued into the evening, and it was only late at night that some power began to be restored.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced in a televised address that night that restoration had been completed for about half of the power grid. However, he did not specify when full power would be restored, and predicted that a significant number of citizens would still find it difficult to go to work on the following day, April 29. Neighboring Portugal, which also experienced the blackout, began to see power restored in parts of its capital Lisbon and second city Porto late that night, and the Spanish news agency EFE reported that the power grid was expected to be restored on April 29. Meanwhile, as the cause of the blackout had yet to be identified, some Spanish citizens expressed anxiety, speculating, "Could this be the work of Russia?" According to El Pais, Spanish authorities stated that they were investigating the cause of the blackout and had not ruled out any possibilities.
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