Several European countries have been plunged into nationwide darkness, including Spain, Portugal, and parts of France, as millions of citizens suffered power outages on Monday.
According to Euro News, official sources in Portugal told domestic media that the outage, which hit around late morning local time, was nationwide, while similar reports have emerged from Spain.
The Spanish government has gathered for an emergency session at Moncloa and is monitoring the situation as it develops, Euronews Spain reveals.
“At around 12:30 pm this Monday, the lights in homes, businesses, and stores across the country went out. Gradually, users have also begun to report problems accessing data and Wi-Fi on their cell phones,” a local paper, La Vanguardia, wrote.
Due to the development, citizens have been asked not to dial 112 unless in a genuine emergency to avoid overloading the lines.
Residents of Andorra and parts of France bordering Spain were also reporting being hit by the blackout. Further outages have been reported as far as Belgium, according to the latest information.
The cause is yet unclear, however, Endesa and Iberdrola, Spain's two major electric companies, are investigating the incident.
Domestic media are reporting issues with the European electric grid, which affected national grids in the Iberian Peninsula.
According to reports, a fire in the south-west of France, on the Alaric mountain, which damaged a high-voltage power line between Perpignan and eastern Narbonne, has also been identified as a possible cause, Portugal's national electric company REN said.
