Electricity restored to 99% of Spain and most of Portugal after massive power outage

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez earlier vowed to have the entire country of 48 million with their lights back on by the end of the day

A family eats a snack by candlelight during a blackout in Barcelona. File picture: Emilio Morenatti/AP

Spain has recovered more than 99% of its power following an unprecedented blackout that brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill, officials said.

Spanish power distributor Red Electrica said the figure was reached by 6am on Tuesday. The blackout saw thousands of train passengers stranded and left millions of people without phone and internet coverage and access to cash from ATMs across the Iberian Peninsula.