Spain and Portugal are racing the setting sun as they respond to a massive, unexplained power outage that knocked out traffic lights, caused chaos on roads and in airports, and threatened to plunge tens of millions of people into darkness on Monday.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, halting subway trains, cutting phone service and shutting down traffic lights and ATM machines for the 50 million people who live across the Iberian Peninsula.