Huge power outage strikes Spain and Portugal sparking travel chaos
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Spain, Portugal and France have been hit by a widespread power outage, with the electrical supply cut to a number of major cities.
Videos online show railway networks in Spanish cities plunged into chaos, with blackouts seen in underground stations and huge queues forming on platforms.
Major hubs including Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon are said to have been hit by the outage.
Parts of Madrid's sprawling metro system have been evacuated and traffic lights in the capital have stopped working, posing risk on major carriageways.
The outage is also said to have forced the closure of Barcelona's tram system and stopped some traffic lights in the city from working.
Telephone lines nationwide are also said to be down.
Spain's national grid said in a statement on X: 'Plans to restore the electricity supply have been activated in collaboration with companies in the sector following the zero that occurred in the peninsular system.
'The causes are being analyzed and all resources are being dedicated to solving it. We will continue to report.'
Spanish railway company Renfe said that all trains have halted and no departures are currently taking place, with a power outage at a 'national level'.
Pictures on social media show power outages
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Video showed travellers queuing at a station in Spain amid the power outage
The outage is reported to have forced the closure of tram systems in Spain
Lottie Feist, 23, who lives in Lisbon, told of panic across the Portuguese capital as traffic lights cut out.
The translation student at Nova University said: 'There is no electricity, nothing is working.
'We don't know what's happening or why we are having a blackout.
'The roads are absolute carnage as no traffic lights are working.
'All the power is down, and businesses are being impacted.
'It's terrifying, people will be stuck in elevators, and everything has completely shut down.'
