A power outage struck the capital of Denmark and southern Sweden on Tuesday afternoon, leaving nearly 4 million people without electricity, authorities said.

Utility officials said the outage, caused by a faulty transmission line between the two countries, was being repaired and most customers would likely have power restored before nightfall.

Police did not suspect sabotage or terrorism.

Traffic signals and lights in offices, shops and homes went dark just after noon in Copenhagen, a city of 1.8 million people.

Hundreds of people emerged from downtown stores and looked around. Some used cell phones to call friends and family. Traffic along the city's main thoroughfare was bumper to bumper. Hospitals used backup generators.

Sture Larsson, technical director of the Swedish National Grid, said workers were working to bring power back up.

"We're reconnecting the electricity from the national grid to the local and regional network," he said.

Trains in Denmark's new driverless subway system came to a stop along the 8.7-mile long route, a Metro spokeswoman told The Associated Press. Passengers were evacuated from two trains without incident.

The capital's widespread commuter rail system also came to a halt, police said.

Flights to Copenhagen's airport were diverted to Sweden, said spokeswoman Camilla Kjaersgaard.

The Oresund bridge and tunnel, which connects Copenhagen to Malmoe, Sweden, was closed to traffic.

At the Kronfaagel chicken factory in Kristianstad, Sweden, the power outage meant a temporary reprieve for about 100,000 chickens scheduled to be butchered.

"Everything came to a standstill. We cannot produce anything," said Mikael Nilsson, a company spokesman.

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