Prague hit by major power outage impacting thousands of people across Czech capital
Josh Milton
Published July 4, 2025 3:09pm Updated July 4, 2025 3:32pm
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Men chat next to a stopped tram during a major power outage in Prague, Czech Republic, July 4, 2025. CTK/Ptacek Jan via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. CZECH REPUBLIC OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CZECH REPUBLIC SLOVAKIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SLOVAKIA POLAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN POLAND NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN HUNGARY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN HUNGARY CROATIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CROATIA SLOVENIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SLOVENIA SERBIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SERBIA ROMANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ROMANIA UKRAINE OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN UKRAINE BULGARIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN BULGARIA NORTH MACEDONIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORTH MACEDONIA MONTENEGRO OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN MONTENEGRO BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA ALBANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ALBANIA GREECE OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN GREECE
Men chat next to a stopped tram during a major power outage in Prague, Czech Republic (Picture: REUTERS)
A major blackout has hit parts of Prague and the Czech Republic, abruptly halting trains and forcing hospitals to run on generators.
The power outage swept parts of the country just after noon, with the disruption impacting Central Bohemia, Usti and Liberec.
In the capital, Metro and tram lines were cancelled and traffic lights were cut off, causing traffic accidents.
By 2pm alone, firefighters had responded to 215 lift rescues across the country after people became trapped.
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A hospital in Kutná Hora, a town about 35 miles southeast of Prague, is relying on a generator with only eight hours of fuel.
In Hradec Králové, the town hospital has postponed all operations today and paramedics have responded to four patients whose oxygen machines were unusable due to the blackout.
Cars crash during a traffic accident at an intersection, after traffic lights stopped working in the area due to a major power outage in Prague, Czech Republic, July 4, 2025. CTK via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. CZECH REPUBLIC OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CZECH REPUBLIC SLOVAKIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SLOVAKIA POLAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN POLAND NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN HUNGARY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN HUNGARY CROATIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CROATIA SLOVENIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SLOVENIA SERBIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SERBIA ROMANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ROMANIA UKRAINE OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN UKRAINE BULGARIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN BULGARIA NORTH MACEDONIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORTH MACEDONIA MONTENEGRO OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN MONTENEGRO BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA ALBANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ALBANIA GREECE OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN GREECE
Cars crash during a traffic accident at an intersection, after traffic lights stopped working in the area (Picture: Reuters)
Employees and customers wait outside a bookstore during a major power outage in Prague, Czech Republic, July 4, 2025. CTK via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. CZECH REPUBLIC OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CZECH REPUBLIC SLOVAKIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SLOVAKIA POLAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN POLAND NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN HUNGARY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN HUNGARY CROATIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CROATIA SLOVENIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SLOVENIA SERBIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SERBIA ROMANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ROMANIA UKRAINE OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN UKRAINE BULGARIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN BULGARIA NORTH MACEDONIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORTH MACEDONIA MONTENEGRO OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN MONTENEGRO BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA ALBANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ALBANIA GREECE OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN GREECE
Metro services in the capital are now operating, though some trams are still down (Picture: Reuters)
There have been widespread problems connecting to the internet and to phone networks, Prague Morning reports, as well as ATMs not working.
The Václav Havel Airport, the capital’s international airport, was not hit by the power outage, however. Arrival and departure boards show services running as normal.
What caused the blackout?
Prague’s power provider, PRE, said the disruption was caused by an ‘issue in the upper-level transmission grid’.
Spokesperson Karel Hanzelka told Czech Radio: ‘To put it simply, electricity stopped flowing into Prague from the outside.’
Passengers rest on the floor in the hall of the Main Railway Station, as a major power outage caused train delays, in Prague, Czech Republic, July 4, 2025. CTK/Vondrous Roman via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. CZECH REPUBLIC OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CZECH REPUBLIC SLOVAKIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SLOVAKIA POLAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN POLAND NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN HUNGARY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN HUNGARY CROATIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CROATIA SLOVENIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SLOVENIA SERBIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SERBIA ROMANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ROMANIA UKRAINE OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN UKRAINE BULGARIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN BULGARIA NORTH MACEDONIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORTH MACEDONIA MONTENEGRO OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN MONTENEGRO BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA ALBANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ALBANIA GREECE OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN GREECE
Passengers rest on the floor in the hall of the Main Railway Station, with services paralysed by the outage (Picture: Reuters)
Czech transmission system operator ČEPS added that a phase conductor, which transmits electricity, on the V411 line failed.
The line, in the north of the country, is the highest voltage level line in the country and carries power from plants over long distances.
The knock-on effect cut power to eight substations, with five restored so far.
The exact cause of the failure is unclear – an investigation has been launched.
Industry Minister Lukáš Vlček stressed that restoring power can’t be done in only a few ‘minutes’ and will likely take hours.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on X: ‘We are facing an extraordinary and unpleasant situation, and everyone is working intensively to restore electricity supplies.
‘That is the priority now. Thank you all for your patience.’
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