Spanish official urges military deployment amid widespread power outage

Mayor of Spain’s capital Madrid José Luis Martínez-Almeida has urgently called for the deployment of military forces to help manage the growing emergency caused by a massive power outage in the capital. 

As the outage continues to affect large areas of the city, local authorities are expressing increasing concern over the escalating security situation, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

With power still not restored and no clear timeline for when electricity will return, officials worry that the crisis could deepen by evening, further straining emergency services and public order.

Sources close to the mayor said that Martínez-Almeida has aligned with the request made by President of the Madrid region Isabel Díaz Ayuso for the military’s assistance in stabilizing the situation. The deployment of troops is seen as a necessary measure to assist in both managing the crisis and ensuring the safety of the public. 

Spokesman from Spain's Red Eléctrica national electricity grid operator has announced that the restoration of power grid, which suffered a massive outage, is expected to take between 6 to 10 hours.  The spokesman described the power failure as "exceptional and extremely unusual", acknowledging the severity and widespread impact of the incident.  The outage has affected multiple regions across the country, leaving millions without power and disrupting essential services, including transportation and communications. 

After a massive blackout plunged Spain into chaos, efforts are now underway to restore power across the country, with crews working tirelessly in both the north and south to bring normalcy back to millions of affected residents.  The blackouts, which began around 12:15 pm (GMT+2), have severely affected nearly all of Spain and Portugal, with additional reports indicating disruptions in parts of France, Andorra, and Belgium. In Madrid and Lisbon, several metro and rail passengers were left stranded, while international airports in both cities, along with others across the Iberian Peninsula, were forced to close.  

By Naila Huseynova