A significant power outage struck large parts of the Czech Republic, including the capital Prague, on Friday, causing widespread disruption to public transport. Officials confirmed that the blackout was due to a technical failure rather than a cyberattack, with the national power grid operator, CEPS, reporting issues in the northern and eastern regions of the country. The outage began around noon local time, leading to the temporary shutdown of the entire Prague metro system.
Public transport was significantly impacted, with the metro’s A and C lines resuming within 15 minutes, while the B line took about 30 minutes to restore. Tram services on the right bank of the Vltava River were halted, while those on the left bank continued to operate. Some train services near Prague and in other regions also experienced disruptions. Prime Minister Petr Fiala issued a statement on social media platform X, acknowledging the outage and the impact on other parts of the country, while emphasizing that authorities were working to address the issue.
Interior Minister Vit Rakusan confirmed that there were no indications of a cyber or terrorist attack, further supporting the technical failure as the likely cause. CEPS reported that eight substations were affected, with five having resumed operations by the time of its statement. The company is continuing to investigate the cause of the blackout. The incident also led to reports of individuals being trapped in elevators in parts of Prague and central Bohemia, prompting emergency services to respond to multiple calls for assistance. Vaclav Havel Airport Prague remained unaffected by the outage.
The Czech blackout follows a larger power failure that plunged Spain and Portugal into darkness for several hours earlier this year, which was blamed on a “voltage surge,” although initial concerns pointed to a possible cyberattack. Friday’s disruption also came on the heels of a European heat wave, which had increased demand for cooling systems. However, temperatures in Prague had eased to around 25°C (77°F) on Friday, down from 34°C the day before.