Using their cell phones to light up the darkened aisles of a large Chinese bazaar in the suburbs of Madrid, customers searched for flashlights, candles, batteries and portable radios in an apocalyptic film-like atmosphere. Just below, in a Mercadona supermarket operating on a generator, shelves stocked with ready meals, bottled water packs, toilet paper and bags of charcoal were stormed.

On Monday, April 28, at 12:33 pm, the lights went out across Spain and Portugal. This massive power outage, whose cause remains unknown, quickly plunged the Iberian Peninsula into chaos. Trains stopped, metros closed, road traffic froze, flights were canceled, telephone communications and internet access were partially cut, credit card readers and ATMs were out of service...

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