SEVENTY tourists were trapped inside hotel lifts when one million people were left without power during huge blackouts on Tenerife.
The power cut – which also affected, homes, bars and restaurants on the holiday island – was later blamed on an explosion at a sub-station in Granadilla.
@kwaczek2000/Twitter Tourists hit the beach during the power cuts which rocked Tenerife[/caption]
Traffic lights stopped working and hundreds of people were left stranded in elevators and underground car parks, according to local reports.
Hospitals and the island’s two airports were understood to be functioning as normal thanks to emergency back-up generators.
Patricia Hernandez, mayoress of the capital city Santa Cruz, tweeted: “Electricity supplier Endesa is trying to re-establish power on the island.
“We’re told it’s going to take around six hours.”
A receptionist at the three-star Hotel Catalonia Oro Negro said the mains electricity was down but the hotel was still functioning as normal.
One Spanish bar owner in Los Cristianos said: “A lot of bars and restaurants in the area are without electricity and will have to close.
“The blackout happened just before lunch so it couldn’t have occurred at a worst time.”
Brit Debbie Moyse, manager at the Cozy Cafe in Playa de Las Americas, added: “I reckon I’m going to lose around 10,000 euros in food alone.
“I’ve got four large-stand up freezers and seven catering fridges in the kitchen and everything in there will have to be thrown away.
“We’re well-known in the area for our Sunday lunches and we haven’t been able to serve any hot food since around 1pm. All I can serve are cakes and cold drinks till the ice melts.
“At the moment I’ve got 20 people on the terrace getting stuck into the sangria while another customer has managed to put on some music through his phone.
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“The whole of the island has been hit. The owner has been here for 20 years and it’s the first time he’s heard of a blackout on this scale either.”
A spokesman for a local regional government-run emergency service coordinator said: “Mains electricity has gone down on the island of Tenerife. The provider is currently working on restoring service.
The Spanish airports authority AENA added: “For the moment the blackout has not affected operations.”
