A massive power outage swept across large parts of the Czech Republic on Friday, halting public transport, shutting down factories, and forcing emergency rescues in Prague. The blackout, caused by a fallen powerline, affected eight of the nation’s 44 major power distribution points, according to the country’s grid operator, CEPS.
In the capital, all three lines of the Prague metro were temporarily suspended for about 30 minutes, leaving commuters stranded and public services disrupted. Prague’s transport authority, DP, confirmed the stoppage on its website, while firefighters reported rescuing several people who had become trapped in elevators during the outage.
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“Most of Prague has been affected, primarily on the right bank of the Vltava River,” said Karel Hanzelka, spokesperson for the city’s power distributor, PRE. He added that power crews were working rapidly to restore supply across the impacted regions.
The blackout rippled beyond the capital, disrupting transportation in other parts of the country, forcing factories and refineries to pause operations, and prompting hospitals and businesses to switch to backup generators. Shops and services across multiple cities were forced to close temporarily as the outage dragged on for several hours.
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CEPS stated via its official X account that the blackout stemmed from the collapse of a key powerline, though the precise cause remains under investigation. The incident has drawn comparisons to the widespread blackout that hit Spain and Portugal in April, when voltage control failures triggered a cascading breakdown in the regional grid.
While power has since been restored in most affected areas, the event has reignited concerns over energy infrastructure resilience and emergency preparedness in Central Europe.
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