
Major power outage strikes Czech Republic
Also affected were regions of Ústi, Liberec and Hradec Králove, Euro News reported, citing CEPS power grid operator and domestic media.
Czech Republic has a population of 10 million and borders Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland, which didn't report outages. Weather was nice Friday with highs in the mid-70s, contrasting with highs in the mid-80s earlier in the week.
In late April, a power grid failure led to the blackout of the entire Iberian Peninsula in Spain and Portugal.
The Czech blackout, shortly after noon, was triggered by the failure phase conductor on line V411, cutting power to eight major substations. Five were restored by the afternoon.
"It was an issue in the upper-level transmission grid," Karel Hanzelka, spokesperson for Prague's power provider PRE, told Czech Radio. "To put it simply, electricity stopped flowing into Prague from the outside."
The cause of the outage remains under investigation.
There was no evidence of a cyberattack, National Cyber and Information Security Agency and counterterrorism unit confirmed.
In Prague, trams and metro lines stopped, traffic lights were inoperable and people were trapped in elevators.
Metro lines A, B, and C were temporarily out of service, Prague Morning reported.
In a reflection of how service outages varied, most trams on the right bank of the Vltava River in Prague were halted but those on the left bank weren't affected.
Firefighters evacuated three trains on the Prague Kolin section.
"This is a serious and disruptive situation. Everyone is working intensively to restore power," Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in a video post on X.
He later activated the Central Crisis Staff.
"This isn't something that can be fixed in minutes," Industry Minister Luka Vlceksaid. "It will take hours. The outage has affected a significant portion of the country."
Fire brigades were swamped with calls.
"The power outage is generating a high number of incidents -- rescues from elevators, reported fires caused by diesel backup generators starting up," Miroslav Rezac, a spokesman for Prague's firefighters, said.
By 2 p.m., firefighters had responded to 215 elevator rescues nationwide.
In Kutna Hora, the entire hospital ran on a backup generator with an eight-hour fuel reserve. "We're looking for a gas station to refill," a hospital receptionist told Prague Radio.
Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague was not hit by the power outage, according to Czech media.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Miami Herald
18 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Tropical Storm Chantal drenches Carolinas, closes I-95
July 6 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Chantal dumped heavy rain on South Carolina early Sunday before weakening to a depression as it came ashore. The third named storm of the year, Chantal came ashore near Litchfield, S.C., about 3 a.m. before being downgraded. The National Weather Service said the center of the storm was hard to determine as it began to diffuse after arriving onshore. Winds peaked at 60 mph before coming ashore, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm had moved inland about 80 miles west of Wilmington, N.C., moving north at about 9 mph. Its sustained winds, however, had fallen off to about 35 mph. Flash flooding remained a concern and prompted local areas to take precautions as forecasters predicted that as much as four inches of rain could drench the region into the day Monday. "1-3 inches of rain has already fallen in isolated locations across Eastern NC," the Newport/Morehead City office of the NWS said in a social media post. "Expect 1-1.5 additional inches through Monday, with locally higher amounts of 3+ possible. This could lead to localized flash flooding." Heavy rain forced the closure of some lanes of Interstate 95 as it moved inland, forcing travelers to take alternate routes to reach their destinations. The storm prompted isolated tornado threats, but the storm was not expected to threaten North Carolina's popular Outer Banks area. The risk is, however, high for a dangerous rip current across eastern North Carolina through Sunday night. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.


UPI
19 hours ago
- UPI
Tropical Storm Chantal drenches Carolinas, closes I-95
Tropical Storm Chantal moved onshore in the Carolinas early Sunday, and is expected to dump as much as 5 inches of rain on the region as it moves inland through the day on Monday. Photo courtesy of the National Weather Service July 6 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Chantal dumped heavy rain on South Carolina early Sunday before weakening to a depression as it came ashore. The third named storm of the year, Chantal came ashore near Litchfield, S.C., about 3 a.m. before being downgraded. The National Weather Service said the center of the storm was hard to determine as it began to diffuse after arriving onshore. Winds peaked at 60 mph before coming ashore, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm had moved inland about 80 miles west of Wilmington, N.C., moving north at about 9 mph. Its sustained winds, however, had fallen off to about 35 mph. Flash flooding remained a concern and prompted local areas to take precautions as forecasters predicted that as much as four inches of rain could drench the region into the day Monday. "1-3 inches of rain has already fallen in isolated locations across Eastern NC," the Newport/Morehead City office of the NWS said in a social media post. "Expect 1-1.5 additional inches through Monday, with locally higher amounts of 3+ possible. This could lead to localized flash flooding." Heavy rain forced the closure of some lanes of Interstate 95 as it moved inland, forcing travelers to take alternate routes to reach their destinations. The storm prompted isolated tornado threats, but the storm was not expected to threaten North Carolina's popular Outer Banks area. The risk is, however, high for a dangerous rip current across eastern North Carolina through Sunday night.


UPI
2 days ago
- UPI
Tropical Storm Chantal forms, forecast to reach Carolinas by Sunday
1 of 2 | Tropical Storm Chantal became the third named storm in the Atlantic this season. Photo by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. July 5 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Chantal formed in the Atlantic on Saturday morning and is projected to reach South Carolina and North Carolina on Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. Chantal, the third named storm of the season, will be the first system to impact the United States this Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. "As tropical cyclones go, this storm will be relatively minor and short-lived," Frank Strait, severe weather liaison with the South Carolina State Climate Office, told the Island Packet. In the 2 p.m. EDT update, Chantal had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was traveling northward at 3 mph. In the 11 a.m. update, the winds were 40 mph. The storm became a tropical depression Friday night off the coasts of Northeast Florida and Georgia. Chantal was about 105 miles south-southeast of Charleston, S.C., and about 185 miles south-southwest of Wilmington, N.C. A tropical storm warning is in effect for the South Santee River, S.C., to Surf City, N.C. A tropical storm watch goes from Edisto Beach to South Santee River. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles east of the center. "Chantal has barely moved since last night, but a motion to the north-northwest is expected to begin soon," NHC forecasters said. "The main steering features appear to be a mid- to upper-level low over the Gulf and a narrow mid-level ridge across the mid-Atlantic region." Some strengthening is expected before Chantal reaches the coast, NHC said. A turn to the northeast is forecast by Sunday night, NHC said. On the forecast track, the center of Chantal is expected to move across South Carolina's coast Sunday morning. Chantal is expected to produce heavy rainfall in the Carolinas through Monday with 2 to 4 inches and local amounts of 6 inches. NHC said these rains could cause flash flooding "The combination of storm surge and tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline," NHC said. Storm surge is forecast at 1-3 feet from South Santee River to Surf City and 1-2 feet from Edisto Beach to South Santee River. Also, isolated tornadoes are possible Saturday night into Sunday along South Carolina's eastern coast and much of North Carolina, NHC said. "This was a classic example of homegrown development, by which a tropical storm formed close to the southeast Atlantic coast and in an area where it is typical for July," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said. Andrea and Barry, the first two named systems of the Atlantic hurricane season, have dissipated.