Northern India plunged to darkness last night following a major power failure in the region.

The crisis was caused by a major failure in the northern grid. Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that it will take sometime before power is restored. The fault is found near Agra.

However, the BSES said that it will take four to five hours to restore power. Emergency power services are now being provided to the VVIP areas.

A senior Power Grid Corporation official told AIR that the actual reason for the grid failure is being ascertained.

V.V. Sharma, General Manager in the Northern Region Load Dispatch Centre of Power Grid Corporation said that the efforts are being made to restore power supply. He said the problem started around 2.30 a.m. last night.

Among the affected states are Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan.

The power failure hit train services in the region. A railway official said that the trains stranded in remote areas are being brought to railway stations. Delhi Metro services were also affected in the national capital.