Overview

• A fallen high-voltage cable on the V411 transmission line triggered a blackout shortly after noon in Prague and parts of Central, North and East Bohemia, halting metro and tram services.
• By 1600 GMT, grid operator CEPS had restored five of eight affected substations, but about 2,000 of the half-million initially impacted customers remained offline.
• Hospitals in Prague and regional towns switched to backup diesel generators while fire brigades conducted over 215 lift rescues after elevators lost power.
• Interior Minister Vit Rakusan and the Industry and Trade Ministry ruled out cyberattack or terrorism and say investigations are focused on the cable failure.
• The outage underscores vulnerabilities in Europe’s aging transmission network and has prompted calls for investment in grid modernization and redundancy.