The sweeping power outage that hit Spain and Portugal this week has raised questions about the electricity grid in a region not normally known for blackouts.

Red Eléctrica, Spain’s electricity grid operator, ruled out a cyberattack, human error or unusual weather. Experts say it could take weeks to determine the cause.

For millions of people across Spain and Portugal, power was lost in an instant yesterday. Communications came to a halt, water was not running in places, metro systems ground to a standstill, and travellers were strained in airport departure lounges.