(de-news.net) – Authorities assess that a politically motivated act of sabotage is the most plausible cause of the extensive power outage that disrupted electricity supply across southwestern Berlin. Police have classified as credible a communiqué attributed to a left-wing extremist group identifying itself as the ‘Vulkangruppe,’ noting that this organization has previously claimed responsibility for comparable offenses. Responsibility for verifying the authenticity of the statement has been assigned to the relevant state security services. As a result of the incident, electricity supplies were interrupted for tens of thousands of households, significantly affecting daily life in the region.
Earlier the same day, Berlin’s Governing Mayor, Kai Wegner (CDU), publicly attributed the incident to left-wing extremists and characterized the arson attack on a power facility in the Lichterfelde district as unacceptable. He underscored that assaults on critical infrastructure inherently endanger human life and public safety. The senator responsible for internal affairs indicated that experts had rapidly concluded the damage was deliberate, while senior officials described the act as a demeaning and reckless attack on the city’s population.
According to the grid operator Stromnetz Berlin, efforts to repair the damage are exceptionally complex. Work is currently underway at two separate locations, involving both the restoration of a damaged cable bridge spanning the Teltow Canal and the implementation of temporary technical solutions designed to reestablish electricity supply for affected households. While limited progress has been achieved, the operator has cautioned that full restoration of service is not expected before Thursday afternoon.
At the same time, conditions in hospitals across southwestern Berlin have stabilized. Health authorities reported that several major medical facilities have already been reconnected to the power grid, with the final affected hospital expected to regain full service shortly. The health senator expressed appreciation for the rapid response of the grid operator and observed that the initial phase of the outage demonstrated the effectiveness of existing crisis-preparedness and contingency planning. Through coordinated action by the crisis management team and continuous communication among institutions, planned evacuations and patient transfers were avoided. Additional support was provided by the Charité and Vivantes hospital networks. Nursing facilities and individuals requiring care in private households were also affected, necessitating close coordination between the Senate administration, the fire brigade’s emergency command, and supervisory authorities, including preparations for potential transfers to facilities with available capacity.
In the aftermath of the outage, electricity has gradually been restored to a portion of affected consumers. By the early morning hours, approximately 7,000 households and 150 businesses—primarily in the Lichterfelde area—had regained power. Overall, the disruption impacted roughly 45,000 households and 2,200 commercial customers across the districts of Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee, and Lichterfelde. As investigations continued, police maintained a significant operational presence in the affected areas, deploying approximately 330 officers to support security and investigative efforts.
