Power outage in Prague: Millions without power after breakdown debacle!

Power outage in Prague: Millions without power after breakdown debacle!

There was a massive power outage in the Czech Republic today, paralyzing large parts of the country as well as the capital Prague. The outage was caused by a technical glitch, specifically a failed phase conductor, and affected millions of households. As the South German newspaper reported that the problem began at midday and resulted in trams and subways not running for a time. Many people were stuck in elevators, while power was also out in the regions of Liberec, Ústí nad Labem and parts of central Bohemia.

The situation was described as “extraordinary and unpleasant” by Prime Minister Petr Fiala. The police ruled out any evidence of an act of sabotage. The fault was fixed in the early afternoon, but thousands of households were still without power into the early evening. The restoration of power was gradual and the cybersecurity agency has launched an investigation.

Severe storms are making the situation more difficult

In addition to the technical problems caused by a phase conductor failure, the Czech Republic is battling severe storms. According to reports from the Berlin newspaper Over 60,000 households were affected by power outages, mainly due to waterlogged soil and strong winds that caused trees to fall on overhead power lines. In particular, in the Ústí nad Labem administrative region, more than 20,000 households were temporarily without electricity.

The extreme rainfall has also triggered flood alarms on many rivers and streams. The highest warning level 3 (“danger”) applied at more than 25 water gauge stations. In Siroka Niva, around 40 people had to be evacuated from their homes as a precaution. Flooding made many roads impassable and the village of Visnova could only be reached by a fire department off-road truck.

Traffic disruptions and evacuations

In Prague, flood protection walls are currently being built on the banks and shipping traffic on the Vltava has been suspended. Railway lines are also affected, with trees falling on tracks blocking several routes. For affected travelers, the Czech State Railways (CD) has announced that tickets can be returned until Sunday without cancellation fees.

The combination of technical problems and extreme weather conditions poses a significant challenge for the Czech Republic's infrastructure and authorities. While the restoration of power supplies progresses, the population remains on alert in the face of the ongoing severe weather situation.