Key Points:
- 24,700 households and 1,120 businesses in southwestern Berlin remain without power for fourth consecutive day
- “Vulkan Group” claims responsibility for deliberate attack on gas power station infrastructure in Lichterfelde
- Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner condemns incident as planned left-wing terrorist attack, not mere vandalism
- Federal Prosecutor’s Office investigating serious charges including terrorism, arson, and disruption of public services
- Repair work delayed beyond initial Thursday restoration estimate due to technical complexities
- Residents report indoor temperatures dropping to 11.5°C amid freezing weather and snowfall
- Power supply restored to five hospitals on Sunday morning, but residential areas still struggling
The situation remains critical in Berlin, Germany’s capital, following an alleged terrorist attack on the power grid that has plunged thousands of homes into darkness. Thousands of homes and businesses in several areas of southwestern Berlin have been without electricity for the fourth consecutive day, creating a severe humanitarian crisis as temperatures plummet. The blackout, amidst freezing temperatures and snowfall, has significantly worsened the plight of residents who are struggling to stay warm without power.
Extent of Power Outage and Impact
According to local power grid operator Stromnetz Berlin, as of 12:45 PM on Tuesday, approximately 24,700 households and 1,120 businesses in the Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee, and Lichterfelde districts were still without power. Earlier, on Saturday morning, a fire in a cable connected to a power station had disrupted electricity supply to around 45,000 homes and more than 2,200 businesses, indicating the massive scale of the infrastructure damage. The harsh winter weather and snowfall in Berlin have exacerbated the situation, making living conditions unbearable for many residents.
Residents Suffer in Freezing Conditions
A local resident from Nikolassee, Christiane, said the temperature in her apartment had dropped to just 11.5 degrees Celsius, highlighting the desperate conditions faced by those without power. She said that while sleeping in the cold is manageable, living in such cold conditions is extremely difficult, especially for elderly residents and families with young children. The prolonged outage has forced many to seek shelter with relatives or in emergency warming centers set up by the city administration.
Terrorist Group Claims Responsibility
An organization calling itself the “Vulkan Group” has claimed responsibility for the incident in an online post, stating they deliberately damaged infrastructure connected to a gas power station in Lichterfelde. Berlin Mayor Kai Wegener has called the incident a terrorist attack, emphasizing at a press conference that it was not a simple act of arson or vandalism, but a planned left-wing terrorist attack aimed at crippling the city’s essential services.
Federal Investigation Launched
According to the German news agency DPA, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Germany has launched an investigation into the matter, focusing on serious charges including membership in a terrorist organization, arson, vandalism, and disruption of public services. Berlin’s Interior Senator Iris Spranger said the attack was meticulously planned and carried out with criminal intent, aiming to cripple the city’s essential services and create maximum disruption.
Repair Delays and Partial Restoration
Grid operators had initially estimated that the system would be fully restored by Thursday afternoon, but technical complexities are causing delays in the repair work. However, in a positive development, power supply to five hospitals in the affected districts was restored on Sunday morning, prioritizing critical healthcare facilities. Repair crews are working around the clock, but the deliberate nature of the damage has made restoration more challenging than typical technical failures.
