**Welsh Schoolchildren Stranded in Spain Amidst Widespread Power Outage**
A group of schoolchildren from Cardiff are currently stranded in Spain after an unprecedented nationwide power outage caused severe disruptions throughout the country. The incident, which began on Monday 28 April, plunged major cities into chaos, with public transport, airports, and even hospitals affected. The children, students at The Cathedral School in Llandaff, Cardiff, were on an educational trip to Madrid when their return flight was cancelled due to the ongoing disruptions.
Spain’s sudden blackout led authorities to declare a national emergency, as services vital to daily life ground to a halt. While Spain’s national grid operator, Red Eléctrica, reported that demand in the national power system was “normalised” by Tuesday morning, many sectors remained affected. Flights were grounded, payment systems malfunctioned, and transportation networks faced unprecedented confusion. As a result, the Welsh pupils and their accompanying staff remain stuck in Spain, with hopes of returning home now pushed back at least another day.
Despite the challenges, The Cathedral School has offered reassurance that staff and students are safe and being well cared for. In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the school highlighted the professionalism and dedication of the accompanying teachers: “A group of pupils and staff from The Cathedral School have been affected by the unforeseen circumstances in Spain whilst on a school trip,” the spokesperson explained. “We are in regular contact with the group and the pupils are being looked after by our wonderful teaching staff.”
The school further confirmed that it was liaising closely with Spanish authorities, as well as the relevant travel organisations and the UK government, to secure the children’s prompt and safe return. The current expectation is that the entire party will be able to travel back to Wales by Wednesday. This has come as a relief to parents and carers, many of whom have expressed concern but remained grateful for the school’s thorough communication throughout the ordeal.
The British government, through its travel advisory services, has acknowledged the event and praised the efforts made by both Spanish and Portuguese authorities to restore power. In an alert to travellers, the government noted, “Power outages which affected Andorra, mainland Spain and mainland Portugal on Monday 28 April have largely been resolved but some disruption remains… Check with your tour operator or airline for more information before travelling. Follow the advice of local authorities and monitor local updates.”
WalesOnline managed to speak with another Welsh family trapped in the city of Santander when the blackout occurred. Seren Thomas, 21, from Pontllanfraith, described chaotic scenes across the city: “It was insane. There were people everywhere—shop owners, schoolchildren—and so many cars. Because the traffic lights had stopped, it was chaos. Everyone was scrambling to get a bus and they were heaving.” She also praised the local response, explaining, “It was really good when the police came and started to control the traffic… everyone was so lovely and helpful when we asked what was going on.”
As Spanish authorities worked through the night to restore services, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez issued a statement outlining the government’s priorities. “Our focus is on restoring Spain’s electrical system and investigating the causes of this blackout,” Sánchez stated, “so that an event like this never takes place again.”
While power was gradually restored throughout the Iberian Peninsula—Portuguese grid operator REN declared all 89 of its power substations were operational and that service was restored to all 6.4 million Portuguese customers—the cause of the outages remains unclear. Specialists are now examining the sequence of events that led to such widespread disruption in both Spain and neighbouring regions.
The episode serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in modern infrastructure and the challenges faced by travellers when these systems unexpectedly fail. For now, the Welsh schoolchildren and staff in Madrid remain patient and in good spirits, eagerly awaiting their return to Wales in the coming days. Their story stands as one among thousands temporarily upended by a rare technical crisis in southern Europe.