Electricity blackout fears cause panic buying in Madrid as residents flock to supermarkets

Electricity blackout fears have caused people to panic buy in the Spanish capital of Madrid as residents flocked to supermarkets.

A major power outage hit parts of Spain and Portugal on Monday (28 April). The outage appears to have been caused by a “rare atmospheric phenomenon”, according to one grid operator which warned it could take up to a week to restore the power grid.

People were seen buying milk, canned goods, sweets and toilet paper, among other non-perishable goods.

Spanish radio stations said part of the Madrid underground was being evacuated. There were also traffic jams in Madrid city centre as traffic lights stopped working.