MADRID: Spain has restored over 82% of its electricity supply and Portugal about 80%, after one of Europe’s largest-ever power failures crippled vast parts of both countries. Train services, hospitals, metro systems, and airports were severely disrupted, with emergency services relying on backup generators to operate.

Madrid’s Atocha train station became a symbol of the night’s misery, with stranded passengers sleeping on the floor amid hunger, thirst, and mounting frustration. Long queues and last-minute platform changes continue to sow confusion, worsened by the resumption of noisy construction work echoing through the station.

School classes have been cancelled in many parts of Spain, and transport chaos persists, while the government has called for caution in speculating about the cause. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stressed the need to avoid misinformation, even as Andalucían regional president Juanma Moreno initially suggested a cyberattack — a claim quickly dismissed by national officials.

Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro reassured the public that there was “no indication” of a cyberattack. Portugal’s grid operator, REN, attributed the blackout to a “rare atmospheric phenomenon,” involving sharp temperature swings that caused extreme oscillations in Spain’s high-voltage lines — a condition linked to “induced atmospheric variation.”

Authorities say investigations are ongoing and have asked the public to await official findings in the coming days.