Befuddled passers-by holding torches and mobile phones squinted through pitch-black streets early on Tuesday and stranded travellers spent the night at train stations after a crippling backout plunged Spain into darkness.
For Carmen Martinez, a 47-year-old economist, the eery hush in the streets of Madrid, a vibrant city renowned for its nightlife, "reminded me a little of the pandemic era, because there were so few people".
