Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced late Monday that eight of the country’s 17 regions are under a state of emergency amid a massive blackout.
The governments of Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Galicia, La Rioja, Murcia, Madrid, Valencia and Extremadura all requested the declaration, which allows the central government to coordinate the response, including mobilizing the military if needed.
Speaking just after 11 p.m. local time (2100GMT), Sanchez said that power had been restored in almost half of Spain after suddenly dropping across the Iberian Peninsula shortly after 12.30 p.m.
Electricity supply, which is being restored with the help of energy connections with France and Morocco, has returned unevenly, with some regions nearly fully recovered and others with as little as 15% of the network restored.
“The national grid cannot say how long it will take to recover normality,� he said, urging non-essential workers to avoid risking their safety and announcing that many schools would be closed on Tuesday.
Sanchez also urged calm, saying there haven’t been any issues with security.
“We do not know the causes. We are not ruling out any hypothesis,� he said earlier in the day.
Throughout Monday, much of Spain’s transport system ground to a halt. Metros and trains stopped service, while major cities experienced traffic gridlock after traffic lights failed.
Thousands of people also had to be rescued from elevators, with around 150 such incidents reported in Madrid alone, according to the capital city's mayor.
So far, Spanish media has reported some traffic accidents but no major looting or hits to critical infrastructure like hospitals, which are attending to emergencies.
Sanchez urged citizens to stay calm, conserve phone batteries and avoid speculation or spreading misinformation about the causes of the blackout.
Train stations are remaining open overnight to allow stranded passengers to stay.
According to the Spanish daily El Pais, this is the worst power outage in Spanish history.
​​​​​​​The blackout also caused widespread disruption in Portugal, whose prime minister said the issue originated from a problem in the Spanish system.
By Alyssa McMurtry in Spain
Anadolu Agency