Large regions of Spain, Portugal, Andorra and parts of France have been crippled by a mass power outage - with telephone and train lines inactive as authorities deal with the chaos.
Spanish power grid operator Red Electrica has said it is working with energy companies to restore power as quickly as possible after data showed a near-instant, near-complete drop-off in power in just a few seconds.
Across the areas affected, shops and restaurants have been left unable to take card payments, while cash machines are down.
On social media, Red Electrica said it had invoked "power supply restoration plans in coordination with industry partners following the blackout across the peninsula."
It added: "The causes of the incident are being investigated, and all available resources are being allocated to resolve it as quickly as possible."
Then at around 1.40pm local time, it said it was beginning to bring back power "in the north and south of the Iberian peninsula".
🔴 #ÚLTIMAHORA | Apagón de luz en Madrid y en Cibeles no funcionan ni los semáforos pic.twitter.com/VYLKKpzPV2
— Libertad Digital (@libertaddigital) April 28, 2025
Around 20 million British tourists visit Spain and Portugal combined every year.
In the former, hotspots Seville, Barcelona and Valencia have all been affected by the outage - but the Canary and Balearic Islands have escaped unscathed.
While in capital Madrid, the underground network has been evacuated, traffic lights are down, and play has been suspended at the Madrid Open tennis tournament, forcing British player Jacob Fearnley to leave the court.
Its Barajas international airport, which serves around one million passengers daily, has also been left without power.
Airport operator Aena, which runs dozens of terminals across Spain - but not Barajas - said it was suffering some disruption and contingency generators are active.
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The public has been barred from entering Madrid's underground network
REUTERS
A chef at La Cocinona restaurant works in a dark kitchen with the aid of phone flashlights during a power outage in Madrid
REUTERS
Barcelona and Valencia's metro services have also been suspended. The latter warned: "The extent and duration of the outage are unknown."
And in a further sign of looming travel chaos, Spain's rail network Renfe said the power outage struck on a "national level" at 12.30pm local time.
All its trains have been stopped and no departures are taking place, it added.
Spain's Government has convened an emergency crisis meeting at Red Electrica's headquarters to address the crisis.
Play at the Madrid Open has been suspended - and the lights are out around the court
REUTERS
Meanwhile in Portugal, official sources have told domestic media that the blackouts are nationwide.
Portuguese police said traffic lights were affected across the country, the metro was closed in Lisbon and Porto, and trains were not running.
The country's Ministry of Internal Administration said it is not ruling out a cyberattack as a possible cause, while the Spanish Cybersecurity Coordination Office said it is still "too early" to determine the root of the issue.
And in France, some areas briefly lost power on Monday, a spokeswoman for French grid operator RTE said.
