Three elderly individuals have died in Spain from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning after using a generator during Monday’s nationwide power outage, emergency services reported.
Police discovered the victims’ bodies at a residence in Taboadela, a small town in the Galicia region, where they had been using a domestic generator to power an oxygen machine, according to regional emergency authorities.
Emergency workers detected dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide inside the home.
Spanish media also reported a separate incident in Madrid, where a woman died in a flat fire believed to have been caused by a candle lit during the blackout.
Widespread power cuts struck Spain and Portugal on Monday evening, disrupting rail services, traffic systems, mobile networks, and digital payments, forcing many to rely on candles and cash.
The cause of the blackout remains unclear. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the formation of a commission to investigate the nationwide electrical failure.