Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Rachel Obordo and Jem Bartholomew

‘No one knew what to do’: power cuts bring chaos, connection and revaluation of digital dependency

People use candles at a pub in Ourense during a power cut in Spain
Spain, Portugal and some of south-west France suffered a massive power cut on Monday. Photograph: Brais Lorenzo/EPA

“It felt like chaos,” said Iñigo, a doctor at a hospital in northern Spain.

With no electricity from noon on Monday, the building’s emergency generators were kept for the critical areas, leaving staff without access to patient data, broken communications due to no telephone signal or email, and colleagues unable to carry out some of their duties, he said.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.