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Iberia's power outage leaves people stuck in lifts, trains and supermarkets

Major power outages in Spain and Portugal have left many people stuck in lifts, on trains and in supermarkets. Others are walking home or stocking up in the supermarkets.

At Atocha station, the main Madrid railway station, trains were at a complete standstill. The ATM screens were blank, and the police tried to direct people towards central gathering areas.

Ana Cordero was a Puerto Rican tourist who had just left Madrid to go to Barcelona when the electricity went out. She and her partner were stuck on the train in Barcelona for three hours.

She said, "After an hour or so the emergency battery (of the train) died. Then - the bathrooms didn't work." It was so stupid, because everything on the train was electronic. Even to wash your hand.

The train was eventually evacuated, and the passengers walked along the tracks back to the station.

She was concerned that the hotel rates would "go up, up, and up" in Madrid.

Many supermarkets have closed in Portugal's capital Lisbon, as well as in Vilamoura, a resort town in southern Portugal.

In a Madrid supermarket, shoppers were stocking up water, milk, and eggs. Some shelves were empty, and long queues formed at the checkouts.

Joanly Perez is a 33-year old doctor from Madrid. "I left my job and power went out suddenly. People started buying," she said. "People don't know what could happen, so they buy basic necessities just in case."

Oliver Ortiz (45), a butcher from the city of Madrid, also said that he bought tins "just in case".

Some local shops in Madrid gave credit to customers who were frequent shoppers.

In Spain, messaging services started registering the pleas of people stuck in elevators.

One X user said: "I don't have much battery left. Someone advise me. I'm stuck in a lift and the LED light has its own battery. It's about to go off at any moment."

Another person said that they were stuck in the lifts for over an hour, and added: "The worst part was not knowing when I would be out."

A post online, which we could not confirm, showed window cleaners clinging to the Torre de Cristal in Madrid, Spain's tallest skyscraper.

The lights at major intersections had failed and there was gridlock on many roads.

Staff from the local padel-tennis equipment store used stop signs at a major intersection to manage traffic flow.

The streets were crowded with pedestrians, and there was a long line at the bus stops.

Beatriz Sanchez, 40 said that she had walked across Madrid for five kilometers (three miles) to pick up her two daughters from school.

I picked them up one hour before the scheduled departure time. I was worried, but they were happy. "I didn't know whether the bus would run because all of the stops were packed, and I couldn’t get my car out of the parking lot."

One father found that his children were not happy after he left them at school. His son then complained about the coldness of his school lunch. (Reporting and writing by Catarina Demony; writing by Charlie Devereux, editing by Kevin Liffey; reporting by Jennifer O'Mahoney; Elena Rodriguez, Corina Poons, David Latona)

(source: Reuters)