Problem with 99 Hyundai Accent

I was driving home from work tonight, right in the middle of a busy junction and my car just died. The engine didn't cut out at first but it just wouldn't move in first gear. Then the electrics cut out and I thought it was the battery. I got a push to the roadside where again the car wouldn't start.
After making a few phone calls the car started again but it wouldn't engage the gears so I couldn't move. Then the electrics went again. My brother arrived and we decided to tow the car to my Mothers (approx one mile) until we had somebody to look at it.
So we began to tow it with the engine running but pretty soon the engine cut out, the lights went, the brakes went, the hazard lights and even the horn went. Needless to say I had no way of alerting my brother so we barely avoided a serious incident.
Anybody any suggestions? Seems strange to me that the clutch would fail exactly the same time as the electrics would go.
Thanks in Advance

Could the earth lead to the battery have loosened and in your attempts to restart the engine the large current draw from the starter earthed(or attempted to) earth through the clutch cable? Most clutch cables are nylon lined and when the large current travelled down the cable the cable heated up and melted the lining.Happened to me in a Renault 18 twice!!! before i copped what was wrong.

Hi Caff,
Thanks for the reply. I had the car running for ten minutes before I finished work so it was running ok (until I started driving it!) A friend is going to have a look at it tonight. Was it much of a job to sort out your car and did it cost much?

No its a small job. Got both cables in local car breakers and new battery clamp in autofactors.Its a bit of a struggle working in the footwell trying to reconnect the cable to the clutch pedal.........the joys of motoring I suppose.Maybe that isn't your problem at all,keep me posted.

Master cylinder, clutch and alternator had to be replaced/repaired. 650 euros.