Portugal’s grid operator blames a “rare atmospheric phenomenon” for widespread power outages. Extraordinary scenes in Spain. Gov’t has declared a National Emergency

A rare atmospheric phenomenon in Spain due to extreme temperature variations caused electricity cuts across the Iberian peninsula, Portuguese energy company REN said on Monday.

Huge swathes of Spain and Portugal were hit by a major power blackout on Monday that caused widespread disruption at airports, train stations and metro systems, led to traffic light failures, and disrupted communication networks.

REN (Rede Eletrica Nacional) said it was “impossible” to predict when power could be restored and that it could take up to a week. Earlier, the head of Spain’s electricity grid operator, Red Electrica, said it could take between six to 10 hours.

Red Electrica said that some areas in the west, south and north already had power restored.

The European Council, said there were no indications the power outage was caused by a cyber attack.

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