THE first deaths in Spain caused by the catastrophic power outages have come to light as the country battles to restore order.
At least five people are known to have lost their lives to various tragedies in the 24 hours since Spain, Portugal and southern France were plunged into blackout.
AFPTravellers hunker down for the night at the Atocha train station, Madrid[/caption]
ReutersBarcelona lies dark during the blackout[/caption]
Paquita Gonzalez cries as she waits for news of train departures, after spending the whole night at the stationAP
The sad news comes as Spain’s top court launches a bombshell probe into whether sabotage was behind the sudden power loss – and it is revealed that “unusual activity” hit the UK grid hours before Europe.
And initial estimates have placed the cost of the collapse at an eye-watering 4.5billion euros.
A family of three – two parents and a child – perished in Taboadela, north-west Spain, after they inhaled carbon monoxide, presumed from a damaged generator.
In Valencia, a 46-year-old woman died after her oxygen machine failed and she was deprived of the life-sustaining supply.
And in Madrid, a woman was killed in a fire that police believe could have been caused by a candle.
Police are investigating the deaths of a couple and their son from Ourense, north-west Spain.
A spokesperson said the family was tragically discovered inside their home this morning in the village of Taboadela.
Forensic officers believe carbon monoxide poisoning is the most likely explanation – and think it could have come from a malfunctioned generator.
Many families were forced to use generators to power their homes as the national gird supply was downed for hours.
Catalonian firefighters have been called out at least nine times to carbon monoxide emergencies since the chaos began.
The victim in Valencia relied on an oxygen supply as she had a lung condition, but it lost power and the supply was interrupted.
Emergency services were called at 1:00pm on Monday, shortly after the blackout hit, because the woman had stopped breathing.
Police officers attempted CPR for 29 minutes until medics arrived, but the woman sadly could not be resuscitated.
And the victim of the fire was a middle-aged woman living in Madrid’s southern Carabanchel district.
Her body was also discovered last night on the first floor of a building on a residential street.
Investigations are continuing, but police have pointed the finger at rogue a candle sparking the blaze.
ReutersPeople use torches to navigate the dark streets of Madrid on Monday night[/caption]
GettyStranded travellers lie around Lisbon airport as air traffic ground to a halt[/caption]
GettyFood stands in Barcelona attempt to keep running during the blackout[/caption]
The woman was in the room next door to where the flames took hold, but it was quickly consumed by a thick cloud of smoke.
Smoke rose up through the building, endangering other apartments and residents – some of whom needed to be rescued.
Thirteen required medical treatment and five were taken to hospital.
Local media reported the inside of her flat had been totally burned out.
Power has been largely restored to Spain and Portugal – but the countries are still reeling from the near total collapse of infrastructure.
Investment bank RBC estimated the whopping cost of the blackout could be between 2.25billion and 4.5billion euros.
It criticised the Spanish government for allowing the grid to become too dependent on solar power – with no enough stored up in battery reserves.
Redeia, the company which owns Red Electrica, Spain’s national grid operator, warned back in February of the risk of major disruption.
Its report said there was the threat of “disconnections due to the high penetration of renewables without the technical capacities necessary for an adequate response in the face of disturbances”.
A worker assists a customer with a torch at a supermarket during a power outage which hit large parts of Spain
ReutersThe Red Cross load water bottles on trolleys in Valencia to distribute amid the power outages[/caption]