A major power outage struck much of Prague shortly after noon, affecting areas including the city center, Spořilov, and Jižní Město. Prague Energy (PRE) confirmed the outage was caused by a failure at the ČEPS substation in Chodov. Northern regions, including Ústí nad Labem, Teplice, Liberec, and Jablonec, were also hit. Tram services in Liberec stopped, and ČEPS reported a loss of voltage across parts of the national grid. Firefighters in Prague responded to numerous calls to rescue people trapped in elevators and reported smoke from buildings caused by emergency diesel generators. Train services between Prague and Kolín, Benešov, and Kutná Hora were also disrupted.
Public transport across much of Prague was paralyzed. Metro lines A, B, and C stopped running, as did tram lines, according to the city’s transit authority. The outage affected mainly the eastern, or right-bank, part of the city. Train services between Prague and nearby towns like Kolín and Benešov were also suspended. Many shops in the city center closed, and ATMs went offline. Energy analysts reported a sudden 30% drop in grid load.