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Berlin Blackout Persists After Sabotage as City Declares Emergency and Targets Thursday Restoration

Officials plan tighter protection of the small share of above‑ground power lines.

Overview

  • Roughly 25,000 to 30,000 people in the southwest remain without electricity on day three, with the grid operator expecting full restoration by Thursday.
  • Berlin declared a major-damage emergency, opened warming shelters and notches up Bundeswehr and THW support, and kept more than a dozen schools closed with limited emergency care elsewhere.
  • Police, the state criminal office and intelligence services are investigating a suspected left‑wing extremist arson attack, with the General Prosecutor leading and the BKA consulted.
  • Interior officials deem a detailed claim by the so‑called Vulkangruppe plausible; the statement describes burning a cable bridge at the Teltow Canal and shorting high‑voltage lines with metal rods.
  • Mayor Kai Wegner faces criticism over crisis management while pledging stronger protection for exposed grid segments, and Senator Franziska Giffey seeks federal help and tighter secrecy around cable routes.