Passengers stuck at Madrid International Airport are lining up for a taxi during the massive power outage that plunged Spain, Portugal, and part of France into darkness. (Photo courtesy of Marie-Adèle Salem)
"Everything stopped working, like in the movies." Paris-based Lebanese psychologist Marie-Adèle Salem did not imagine that her trip to Madrid for a conference on Monday would give her a glimpse of what infrastructure collapse in Europe could look like. Neither did her compatriot Nancy (who did not wish to disclose her full name), a human resources specialist who traveled from Barcelona for the same conference.Like millions of others, the two friends were trapped by the massive power outage that plunged the entire Iberian Peninsula, as well as part of France, into darkness for nearly 24 hours. Power gradually returned in the affected areas starting Monday evening. The Spanish government and judicial system have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the outage. Iberian electric grid technicians are analyzing the system and...
"Everything stopped working, like in the movies." Paris-based Lebanese psychologist Marie-Adèle Salem did not imagine that her trip to Madrid for a conference on Monday would give her a glimpse of what infrastructure collapse in Europe could look like. Neither did her compatriot Nancy (who did not wish to disclose her full name), a human resources specialist who traveled from Barcelona for the same conference.Like millions of others, the two friends were trapped by the massive power outage that plunged the entire Iberian Peninsula, as well as part of France, into darkness for nearly 24 hours. Power gradually returned in the affected areas starting Monday evening. The Spanish government and judicial system have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the outage. Iberian electric grid technicians are analyzing the system and...