Sánchez warns that "critical hours" are being sold and asks for restrictions on calls and travel.

Barcelona"Critical hours" are coming until the full power supply is restored. This was stated by Spanish President Pedro Sánchez in a six-p.m. appearance after meeting with the National Security Council.the general drop in electricity throughout the Iberian Peninsula It has disrupted all agendas, including those of the Spanish and Catalan governments, which have quickly called emergency meetings with their ministers and advisors. "The government will work to understand the cause, but now the priority is to work to return to normality," the Spanish president assured in an institutional statement at Moncloa Palace, but he has not advanced anything regarding the possible causes: "We are not ruling out any hypothesis," he declared, urging people not to indulge in speculation and to follow official information.

It has been too many hours without giving explanations to the public, according to the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who lamented that the Spanish government has left the public and the autonomous communities with an "unprecedented lack of information." The Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, has contacted the parliamentary groups in Congress to provide them with the information he has. Sources from the Catalan government indicate that, although electricity is gradually being restored, there is fear that the line could go down again at some point.

In any case, Sánchez has sent a message of reassurance to the public and assured that Spain "has mechanisms" to address the situation, although he also called for "responsibility and civility." "We must use cell phones responsibly. Make short calls and only call 112 if necessary. The next few hours will be critical until normality returns," he said, urging restrictions on travel and calls. At 7:00 p.m., the National Security Council will meet again, with several ministers, the Chief of the Defense Staff, and the directors of the National National Security Council (CNI) and the Department of National Security present.

The head of the Spanish government has not ruled out taking additional measures: for the time being, the Spanish government has assumed management responsibility for the regions of Madrid, Extremadura, Andalusia, and Murcia, which have requested a declaration of a state of emergency of national interest. In practice, this means that the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, takes charge of coordinating the affected territory and may request the collaboration and resources of the administrations under his direction. Despite the serious transportation problems, the economic losses for businesses, and the "distress" that those most exposed to the blackout may be experiencing, Sánchez has emphasized that "there are no security problems."

Isla convenes a crisis committee

On the other hand, the Catalan government has also activated a crisis committee with the regional ministers and President Salvador Illa since midday. The committee has met twice and will meet a third time tonight at 8:00 PM. In an appearance without questions, the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, announced that 26% of the power supply to Catalonia has been restored, according to data available as of 6:00 PM. However, like the Spanish government, the minister called on citizens to limit travel and save cell phone battery life over the next few hours. In Catalonia, service is being restored on some sections of Lines 1 and 5 of the Barcelona Metro, but trains will not run until at least tomorrow. Parlon explained that the autonomy of hospitals is guaranteed and asked citizens to inform themselves about the progress of the blackout through official channels.

Since the beginning of the crisis, the Ministry of the Interior has prioritized the evacuation of people trapped on the metro and trains, whether in tunnels or elevators. An urgent meeting of the Emergency Operations Coordination Center (CECOR) has also been called to organize the response of the various emergency and police forces to deal with the consequences of the blackout. Civil Protection bases are "ready to act when necessary," and the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) have doubled their operational capacity to respond to incidents (and, if necessary, manage traffic on the street). The 112 emergency service has requested that calls be restricted to emergency cases, while the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) has urged drivers to limit their travel as much as possible.