Barcelona blackout into third day

Shops and homes have had to use gas-powered lamps and candles

Thousand of households and businesses in Barcelona are preparing to spend a third night without electricity, as a power cut cripples Spain's second city.

The blackout reportedly began when a broken substation cable caused a chain reaction failure in other substations.

The power cut has seen residents take to the streets in protest.

Shops have been plunged into darkness and have lost perishable goods stored in fridges. Hotels have struggled to accommodate tourists.

Shops and homes have had to use gas-powered lamps and candles while bars and restaurants have served cold food.

Endesa said the city area still affected was Gracia, a residential district where the city's main landmark, the Sagrada Familia church designed by Antoni Gaudi, is located.

The blackout began on Monday morning, affecting 350,000 customers in all.

The town hall said the power cut had initially affected the entire city.

Street protest

Hundreds of people marched down a central Barcelona street on Tuesday night, banging pans and blowing whistles in protest at the power cuts.

The Fecsa-Endesa power company has blamed distributor Red Electrica for the blackout, but Red Electrica says it is still not clear what caused the incident.

"The most important thing now is to get the power back, there'll be time enough to find out who's to blame," Red Electrica chairman Luis Atienza told Spanish radio.

But Barcelona's Mayor, Jordi Hereu, has demanded that Endesa and Red Electrica should pay compensation, and the Spanish government has ordered an investigation.