Spain and Portugal could be

A massive power outage struck the Iberian Peninsula and parts of southern France on April 28, plunging areas including Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and southern France into darkness. The blackout, reportedly triggered by a rare atmospheric phenomenon, has disrupted daily life across major cities such as Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, and Seville. With airports, traffic lights, and internet services down, chaos has unfolded—passengers have been evacuated from subways, stranded at train stations, and forced to walk along railway tracks. Initial estimates by Spain’s Red Eléctrica predicted a restoration time of 6–10 hours, but Portuguese network REN warned it could take up to a week.

Authorities have ruled out a cyber attack, but concerns remain over the vulnerability of the power grid due to increasing reliance on solar energy, which lowers system inertia and complicates emergency responses. Ukrainian officials have offered their support, drawing on experience from wartime infrastructure damage. Meanwhile, scenes of widespread disruption continue, with the Mayor of Madrid urging people to stay off the roads. Though some substations have been partially restored, officials caution the recovery process will be gradual, with millions still facing significant outages across the region.