Spain total eclipse plunges crowds into darkness

A total eclipse plunged a broad swathe of Spain into darkness on Wednesday, drawing gasps and applause from crowds gathered across the country.

The astronomical event lasted barely two minutes at most in the areas that saw totality. The shadow crossed a band of territory stretching from Galicia to the Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands.

In Tarragona, on the Mediterranean coast, spectators watched the late-afternoon light fade into near darkness before the crowd broke into applause. Laura Alarcon, a 53-year-old accountant from Tarragona, said the moment the lights went out was more striking than she expected.

In Lodoso, about 500 kilometres to the west, hundreds of people gathered in a heat-scorched field and cheered as darkness fell. Some had waited through the afternoon heat with umbrellas for shade, while others set up telescopes. Instructions were posted in several languages for the crowd.

In Palma de Majorca, tourists and residents watched with protective glasses from the seaside, including some standing in the water. Applause also broke out there at totality.

Madrid did not see a total eclipse, but the moon covered more than 99 percent of the sun and brought near-total darkness for a few moments. Hundreds also gathered on Barcelona's Montjuic hill and in Colmenar Viejo, near Madrid, to watch the event.

The eclipse was described as the first of its kind in Spain in more than a century.