Spain's Interior Ministry on Monday announced a state of emergency in response to a nationwide power outage that affected most of the Iberian Peninsula.
The ministry clarified that the emergency status would be implemented only in regions that formally request it.
So far, Madrid, Andalusia, and Extremadura have sought assistance from the central government, asking it to assume control over public order and additional administrative functions, reports Reuters.
Earlier, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Snchez told reporters that the cause of the power outage remains unknown.
"We do not yet have conclusive information on the reasons for this (power) cut, so I ask the people, as we have done in past crises, to inform themselves through official channels," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a national address. "For the time being, there's no evidence of any civil protection problems. I repeat, there are no problems of insecurity."
He said Spain's national security council would meet again on Monday evening to take stock of the situation.
Widespread power outages are rare in Europe. In 2003, a fault in a hydroelectric power line between Italy and Switzerland triggered a major blackout that affected the entire Italian peninsula for approximately 12 hours.
Similarly, in 2006, an overloaded power grid in Germany caused disruptions that extended beyond the country, impacting parts of France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and even reaching Morocco.
