Iberian power crisis halts transport and sparks online surge
At 12:33 p.m., Spain experienced a "brutal blackout" that paralysed the entire Iberian Peninsula. According to the newspaper "El País", this failure caused a rapid decrease in electricity consumption, which halved within five minutes. This is illustrated by the graph published by the journalists.
Shortly after the blackout began, at 12:34 p.m., the number of Google searches for the term "apagón", meaning "blackout", increased tenfold compared to normal levels. The peak interest in the topic occurred at 12:59 p.m., and interest remains high.
The Downdetector portal recorded an increase in reports of telephone and internet service issues.
The problems affect both mobile and landline internet networks. Meanwhile, the Deutscher Commercial Internet Exchange reports that internet data traffic has dropped to less than half of its usual level.
Warnings for drivers and transportation paralysis
The Spanish Directorate-General for Traffic has advised residents to avoid using cars unless absolutely necessary. The power outage has disabled traffic lights and information boards, increasing the risk of accidents.
Rail traffic has also been halted due to a power loss in the Adif network. Renfe announced on its social media profiles that since 12:30 p.m., there have been no train departures or arrivals.
Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez convened a meeting of the National Security Council. According to Portuguese services, there is no evidence so far to suggest that the failure was caused by a cyberattack. Sources in the Portuguese authorities, as quoted by the AP agency, argue that the electricity supply problems originated on the Spanish side.
