Massive power failure causes over 600 million people to stay in dark in India

More than half the country's population is witnessing blackout in India as a result of massive power failure. Today is the second day that the population is facing real problems. The cause of the blackout is the collapse of three regional power grids.

Meanwhile vendors are seen waiting for customers in candlelight. Employees of the Revenue office are seen working with the help of candles during a power cut.

The lifts were failed trapping hundreds of miners underground, metro services were stopped and trains were held up throughout the country.A huge traffic jam was witnessed near Karkardi More in the capital as traffic signals were not functioning following a massive power failure at northern grid.

'The north, northeastern and the eastern grids are down but we are working and we will have them restored shortly,' one of the spokesman at the Powergrid Corporation of India Ltd told.

Many people used their generators and back-up systems to keep their operations running normally in hospitals and other market places.

'Drivers of all the metro trains have been asked to stop at the stations. No passengers will be allowed in the metro station until power is restored,' the network spokesman said.

It is unclear why the grid collapsed but the power minister said some states may have been using too much power.