Hours after a massive power cut hit large parts of Spain and Portugal, Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez says the cause is still being investigated
Earlier, the president of the European Council and the Portuguese prime minister said there was “no indication” of a cyber attack
In an update, Sánchez warns people to avoid speculation and says hospitals are functioning – he also says power has been restored to some areas in the north and south of Spain
People report driving to find open petrol stations, teaching in the dark – and trying to find beer pumps in Benidorm
In Portugal’s capital Lisbon, our reporter says streets are “choked with traffic” and describes police officers using whistles and hand signals in place of traffic lights
With the metro system still shut here, bus stops are overwhelmed.
Phone networks are patchy, with some residents unable to connect at all. Supermarkets are seeing extremely long queues, with card payments down and many shoppers panic-buying essentials – echoing scenes from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Businesses across the city, as well as official judicial institutions like the courts, have closed their doors.
Portugal’s main broadcaster has also struggled to stay on air, facing technical issues as backup generators fail to provide consistent power.
Reaction from the news that it could take Spain six to eight hours to return to normal, and Portugal a week, has left some feeling unimpressed and frustrated. Others are not pleased that some Spanish cities have reportedly got electricity back while Portugal is still grappling with the outage.
The power cut has thrown Lisbon into total disruption, with no clear timeline yet for full restoration.
