Portuguese minister says blackout could be result of cyberattack
A member of the Portuguese government has said today’s huger power outage could have been caused by a malicious cyberattack, adding that the loss of power is affecting not just Portugal and Spain but also France and Germany.
Portuguese news agency Lusa today attributed the comments to the minister for the territorial cohesion of Portugal, Manuel Castro Almeida.
Earlier, Lusa reported that the Portuguese government was creating a working group to monitor the blackout and said it was investigating reports that the problem may have originated from outside the country.
Businesses navigate the dark in northwestern Spain
Miguel Riopa / AFP – Getty Images
A closed bar during a massive power cut in Vigo, northwestern Spain, today. Miguel Riopa / AFP – Getty Images
A man walks a child through a darkened food market, as another stands in the doorway of an empty bar in Vigo, northwestern Spain, during a nationwide blackout also affecting neighboring Portugal.
A huge power cut has left large parts of Spain and Portugal in the dark
Traffic lights are out in Lisbon, planes are stuck at airports and tennis was suspended at the Madrid Open today as an unexplained and widespread power outage caused chaos across the Iberian peninsula, plunging much of Spain and Portugal into darkness.
Spanish public service broadcaster RTVE reported that the outage hit just after midday local time (6 a.m. ET), leaving its own newsroom in the dark as well as Madrid’s subway stations and the Spanish parliament building.
A police car patrols a road with no operating traffic lights in Madrid.Oscar Del Pozo / AFP – Getty Images
Spanish electricity grid operator Red Electrica said in a statement that it was working with energy companies to restore power and was gradually beginning to recover power in the north and south of the peninsula.
The two countries have a combined population of 50 million and it is unclear how many are affected.