Spain declares state of emergency due to blackout
29 April 00:23
The Spanish Interior Ministry has declared a state of emergency after a large-scale power outage across the country. It is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Reuters.
The ministry noted that the state of emergency will be in effect in those regions that request appropriate support. As of now, such requests have already been received from Madrid, Andalusia and Extremadura.
The central government has taken on the task of ensuring public order and performing other key functions in the affected regions.
The incident occurred on April 28 at around noon local time, when a large-scale power outage left Spain, Portugal and parts of France without electricity and internet. The blackout paralyzed transportation, with subways, railways, and airports temporarily shutting down. There were serious traffic jams on the roads due to the shutdown of traffic lights.
According to preliminary data from Portuguese power engineers, the blackout was caused by a “rare atmospheric phenomenon.” At the same time, the Spanish cybersecurity agency INCIBE is investigating the possibility of a cyberattack, although European Council President Antonio Costa said that there are currently “no signs of a cyberattack.”
The scale of the accident is already being called one of the largest in the history of modern Europe.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has offered to help Spain, Portugal and France overcome the consequences of the energy crisis, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said.
