Madrid - Power has almost completely returned to Spain, and in the early hours of Tuesday, many problems remained what caused one of Europe's worst power outages that made flights, paralyzed subway systems, disrupted mobile communications and shut down ATMs throughout Spain and Portugal.

The country's electricity operator Red Eléctrica said that by 7:00 a.m. local time, more than 99% of Spain's energy demand had recovered. All 89 power substations returned online late last night on Tuesday morning after "absolutely unusual" power outages and power was restored to all 6.4 million customers, said Ren, a Portuguese grid operator.

On Tuesday morning, as life in the Iberian Peninsula slowly returned to normal, outside the busiest Atocho Station in the Spanish capital, people crossed the streets again while looking at their phones, although sometimes internet connections are intermittent.

Inside, hundreds of people waited to board the train or rebooked the train that was cancelled the day before. A large number of people milled around the screen, waiting for updates. Still, some people sleep on the floor, and the Red Cross provides blankets for those who wait overnight at the station. The same scene was copied at Sants Station in Barcelona. Courses were suspended in several areas.

The Madrid Open, a tennis tournament held this week, was still affected by a power outage after cancellation the day before and delayed the opening of the door.

As the state withdraws from the widespread power outages that are still unexplained, the power gradually returns to several areas in Spain and Portugal, which turns the airport and train station into campgrounds for stranded travelers.

On Monday night, many city residents, including the Spanish capital Madrid, slept throughout the darkness. The spire of the usually illuminated cathedral in Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia Basilica is indistinguishable from the night sky. Even after a day, the streets remain deserted.

"We have a long night," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a speech to European countries late Monday. "We are working to restore power to the entire country."

In Madrid, cheers erupted from the balcony returning from the electricity.

On Tuesday morning, Madrid's subway system was restored in addition to a row, meaning 80% of trains operated during peak hours.

In Barcelona, ​​the metro also works properly, but commuter trains have been suspended due to “electrical instability”, and in other parts of the country, commuter and mid-distance services are also suspended or operated with reduced capacity, Rodalies Catalunya, the company that operates the service, said on X.

When subway service stopped on Monday, train stations were cleaned up, shops and offices were closed, and thousands of people flocked to the streets of Madrid.

Spain's first responders said they rescued about 35,000 passengers along the railway and underground.

Later Monday, the power outage turned the sports center, train station and airport into temporary shelters.

"We are in northern Portugal and we do receive any notice," said British tourist Ian Cannons. "We can't book any hotels. There's nothing."

The Barcelona city government distributed 1,200 cribs to the indoor entertainment center to receive residents, unable to go home, and international travelers remained in trouble. People sleep on the benches and floors of the train station throughout Barcelona and Madrid.

As the internet and cell phone services flash offline in Spain and Portugal, battery-powered radios flew out of the shelves. Those who were lucky enough to find the service shared any news updates with strangers on the street.

People sneaked from several supermarkets running on backup generators in Barcelona and Lisbon, and people stored dry goods, water and battery-powered flashlights and candles. Since many cash registers have stopped working, the clerks have calculated the euro manually.

Hector Emperador's kid who was attending school in Barcelona picked up his child, said he resorted to attacking his son's adopted son's cattle bank to ensure he had cash and some online banking services behind the ATM and shut down some online banking services. “The coronavirus pandemic will have nothing compared to that,” he said.

Few gas stations are running, which makes drivers dare to navigate without traffic lights fighting for fuel. Residents with electric door keys find themselves locked at home.

For those with medical needs, such as insulin refrigeration or power of dialysis machines and oxygen concentrates, many inconveniences become existential threats. Some hospitals (but not all) stay open with the help of generators.

Officials did not say what caused the power outage, which was the second severe European blackout in months after the Heathrow Airport fire closed the UK's busiest travel centre on March 20.

They say there is little precedent for such extensive power failures across all Iberian Peninsulars, with a total population of about 60 million. Throughout the Mediterranean, the Balearic Islands of Spain, and the territories of Ceuta and Melilla. The Canary Islands near the northwest coast of Africa were also spared.

"We've never completely collapsed," said Sarenchis, "How Spain's power grid lost 15 GW in just five seconds, equivalent to 60% of its country's demand.

In a televised speech late Monday, Sanchez said authorities are still investigating what happened. Portugal's National Cybersecurity Centre threw cold water at the foul, saying there was no indication that the power outage was caused by a cyber attack.

Teresa Ribera, the Executive Vice President of the European Commission, also ruled out destructiveness in her speech to journalists in Brussels. Still, she said, “the interruption is one of the worst episodes recorded in recent Europe.”

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Associated Press video reporter Helena Alves contributed to the report in Lisbon, Portugal.