News wire — A massive power outage across Spain caused widespread panic on Monday, with customers rushing to withdraw cash from banks and crowds filling the streets in a futile attempt to get a mobile signal.
Carlos Condori, one of millions affected in Spain and Portugal, was travelling on the Madrid metro when the blackout brought his journey to an abrupt halt.
“The lights went out, and the train stopped,” said the 19-year-old construction worker, adding that the train eventually crawled into the station.
“People were stunned because this had never happened in Spain,” he continued. “There’s no phone coverage, I can’t call my family, my parents—nothing. I can’t even go to work.”
At Cibeles Square, one of Madrid’s busiest areas, the failure of traffic lights led to a chaotic scene of sirens, whistles, and car horns as police tried to control the traffic jam.
Bewildered office workers stood in the streets with their computers useless without an internet connection, while others were relieved not to have been trapped in lifts.
Marina Sierra, disoriented and trying to contact her father, was looking for a way home after her school was shut.
“The building we were in was giving off smoke, so they had to evacuate us quickly… I’m shocked because everything is totally out of control,” said the 16-year-old student.
‘Not the End of the World’
Transport chaos also gripped Spain’s second-largest city, Barcelona, as locals and tourists flooded the streets, desperate for information.
Student Laia Montserrat, who lives an hour outside Barcelona, was in the middle of a presentation when the blackout hit her school, leaving her in a difficult situation.
“As the internet wasn’t coming back, they told us to go home, but there were no trains either,” Laia said. “Now we don’t know what to do.”
Leonor Abecasis, visiting Barcelona from Portugal, was in a shop when the power went out.
“We’re waiting for the electricity to come back,” said the 27-year-old consultant. She admitted she was “a little” worried about her return flight to Lisbon later that day.
In Madrid, Pilar Lopez tried to put the confusion and panic of her colleagues into perspective as they fretted about the food left in their freezers.
“We’ve suffered a pandemic; I don’t think this is worse,” said the 53-year-old higher education administrator. “It’s like anything— you get used to it and start to think that this isn’t the end of the world.”
For Lopez, the widespread chaos offered a valuable lesson: “Maybe we should go back to basics and not depend so much on electricity for certain things.”
She added, “I can’t even pay because my mobile isn’t working. Sometimes you have to be a bit more analogue; this proves it.”
– AFP
