Blackout linked deaths in Taboadela
- Three members of one family died in Taboadela, Ourense, after Spain’s April 28, 2025 blackout, when a generator was used to power a respirator. - Investigators said the likely cause was carbon monoxide poisoning; the dead were 81, 77 and 56, and the generator had been provided locally. - One year later, survivors and carers are still pressing for backup protocols for electro-dependent patients (rtve.es)
Three members of one family died in Taboadela, Ourense, after Spain’s April 28, 2025 blackout, when a generator was used to keep a respirator running. (elpais.com) (lavozdegalicia.es) The dead were an 81-year-old man who needed respiratory support, his 77-year-old wife and their 56-year-old son, according to local and national reports published on April 29, 2025. (farodevigo.es) (elpais.com) The Guardia Civil investigated the deaths as carbon monoxide poisoning linked to a generator or fuel-powered device switched on during the outage. Europa Press reported the main hypothesis was poor combustion from a generator lent by the town council. (europapress.es) (infolibre.es) The case became one of the starkest examples of how a power cut can turn into a medical emergency for people who depend on electricity at home. In these homes, the risk is not only the blackout itself but also the improvised fixes used to get through it. (elpais.com) (rtve.es) Reports from Galicia described oxygen and ventilation service staff driving from home to home through the night, replacing batteries and trying to prevent more deaths among electro-dependent patients. (farodevigo.es) (lavozdegalicia.es) RTVE reported on May 12, 2025 that patients and families were collecting signatures to demand formal emergency protocols after the blackout exposed gaps in home backup planning. (rtve.es) The blackout began at 12:33 p.m. on April 28, 2025 and affected peninsular Spain and Portugal, with restoration staggered by region. RTVE’s anniversary coverage said about 36 million households lost power and at least six people died. (rtve.es 1) (rtve.es 2) Taboadela declared two days of official mourning after the deaths, and local reports said the family was widely known in the municipality. The funerals were held on May 1, 2025. (lavozdegalicia.es 1) (lavozdegalicia.es 2) A year later, the deaths in Taboadela are still being cited alongside the blackout itself: not only as a failure of the grid, but as a failure to safely bridge the hours after the lights went out. (farodevigo.es) (rtve.es)
