A power failure paralyzed Switzerland's entire state rail network on Wednesday, leaving more than 100,000 passengers across the country stranded on trains or at stations. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

A staff member distributes drinks to a passenger at the Geneva railway station. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

    GENEVA, June 22 (Xinhuanet) -- A power failure paralyzed Switzerland's entire state rail network on Wednesday, leaving more than 100,000 passengers across the country stranded on trains or at stations.

    Jean-Philippe Schmidt, a spokesman for Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), said the power failure occurred at 6:00 p.m. (1600 GMT) and that he was not sure when the system will be operating normally. An investigation was under way.

    The problem first occurred in southern Switzerland following a drop in the 15,000-volt power supply that spread to the rest of the system, the SBB said. Preliminary investigation showed that the power failure started in the southern canton (state) of Ticino.

    The media speculated that an overloaded power supply system due to the country's prolonged hot weather may have caused the breakdown.

    The SBB's 3,000-km-long rail network carries around 253 million passengers and some 58 tonnes of freight a year. Enditem