Breaking news: Massive blackout affects Spain and Portugal

The massive power outage affecting almost all of Spain and Portugal is currently making the news.

It happened shortly after 12:30 p.m. and has left millions of people without power in both countries, as well as in parts of southern France and Andorra.

According to local press reports, the power outage was sudden and widespread, affecting homes as well as essential infrastructure: hospitals, traffic lights, transportation networks, businesses, ATMs, gas stations, and public services.

Among the main problems reported are issues with the mobile phone and data networks in some areas, although most of the carriers' backup systems are functioning.

The Canary and Balearic archipelagos have not been affected.

According to major media reports, traffic has been affected by the failure of traffic lights, causing problems in cities such as Madrid and Barcelona. Emergency services are also responding to numerous incidents, such as people trapped in elevators or traffic accidents.

It has been reported that electricity consumption dropped from around 25.000 megawatts to almost zero in a matter of seconds, indicating a complete system shutdown on the peninsula. 

Meanwhile, the government has called emergency meetings and deployed technical teams from several ministries to investigate the source of the blackout.

Red Elétrica de España and the main electricity companies have activated emergency plans and supply restoration protocols, although they warn that the recuptotal reaction could take several hours. 

Is this a cyberattack? According to El PaísThe National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) is investigating the situation for a possible cyberattack, although no conclusion has yet been reached. The Portuguese government has also suggested the possibility of a cyberattack.