Spain’s Interior Ministry declared a state of emergency on Monday following a widespread power blackout that affected most of the Iberian Peninsula. 20 000 extra police officers have been sent out to maintain order.
The ministry announced that the emergency status will be implemented in regions upon request. As of 11:30 p.m. local time, eight regions had formally requested a declaration of national emergency: Valencia, Andalusia, Extremadura, Murcia, La Rioja, Madrid, Galicia, and Castilla-La Mancha.
According to La Vanguardia, which cited Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica’s head of operations Eduardo Prieto, a failure in the interconnection between the Spanish and French power grids triggered the massive blackout that struck most of the Iberian Peninsula on Monday.
