A 1,500 MW blackout struck the whole of Spain and Portugal. It threw the lives of millions of travelers and residents throughout the Iberian Peninsula into chaos. The unprecedented loss of power caused the biggest confusion with 44 trains stopping deep underground in tunnels and needing rescuing. Passengers found themselves relying on their mobile phones for light as they navigated darkened tracks, platforms, and stairs to reach safety.
In Madrid specifically, around 150,000 were trapped within the metro and its adjacent facilities when the lights went dark. The abrupt and catastrophic loss of electrical power made me have 4 separate emergencies in their wake. One such incident even left a train full of Argentine tourists stranded for an incredible nine hours. Renato, 64 and Diana, 70 ready to hop on the train to Barcelona. It had not even covered 6 kilometers from Madrid, when the blackout has surprised her.
“Nobody can understand how, in the 21st century, we ended up spending so much time in a lift,” stated Mempho Mujanovic, reflecting the frustrations experienced by many during this unprecedented event.
The blackout proved fatal for several people. On condition of anonymity, and at great risk, Eibar small lift in the remote Basque city of… They took on that miserable experience for over three hours. The lift stopped on a 40-meter descent onto the street below from a school, trapping occupants in complete darkness.
Over at Barcelona’s Disfrutar though, the blackout hit just as the restaurant was slammed with diners. As guests started to arrive, it was a race for our staff to figure out what dishes were still possible to make with no power. “The shopping was done, many had arrived from the other side of the world, and we had to serve them,” said Oriol Castro, one of the restaurant’s chefs. Despite the challenge, our small but mighty staff quickly fanned out across the city. They quickly stocked up on camping stoves and candles to make sure the kitchen stayed open.
Things got even more dramatic in Granada’s Sierra Nevada, where ski lifts that normally carry 16 people at a time became frozen in midair. Rescuers descended into a gondola. They installed an intricate system of ropes, allowing skiers to rappel down safely back to the ground.
The effects of the blackout were felt even farther across the Iberian Peninsula, far exceeding transport systems. Commercial and humanitarian flights were grounded as airports coped with lost power and the associated communications and infrastructure glitches. The fire that occurred in a woman’s apartment in Madrid, unfortunately costing her life. The fire probably began from a candle during the blackout. An elderly couple and their son were recently killed in a freak accident in northern Spain. They all fell victim to carbon monoxide poisoning from an improperly vented generator.
The blackout also caused great harm to the hospitality and retail industries. Countless businesses had to discard wasted inventory and revenue while attempting to recover from the effects of the outage. “I put everything I had in the cart and came here,” said Javier Orquina, describing the urgency many felt during this crisis.
In reaction to these developments, the Madrid regional government acted quickly. Metro staff worked non-stop through the night, searching miles of tunnels to make sure no one was stranded.
Patricia Díaz shared her experience while stranded on a train: “I’m small and I’ve been able to curl up between two seats, but I’ve barely slept.”
With sunset, the blackout became even more oppressive. The artists, innovators, and creative leaders impacted by this completely unprecedented global event who bravely walked through the darkness and uncertainty.