Widespread power outage hits the Swiss city of Biel on Friday morning, cause and duration unknown
A large-scale power failure disrupted the entire city of Biel, Switzerland, early Friday, knocking out electricity, telephony, and data services. Authorities say there is no danger to the public, but the cause and expected restoration time remain unclear.
Residents of Biel woke to a blackout on Friday morning as a power outage struck the city. The disruption, first reported around 06:10 local time, prompted alerts from both the national warning service Alertswiss and the local utility Energie Service Biel/Bienne (ESB).
Extent of the disruption
Alertswiss reported that the power interruption covers the entire city area. The outage is affecting telephony and data transmission services, and the cantonal police of Bern confirmed that emergency numbers remain reachable. There are also restrictions on public transport within the city.
It is a power outage. The cause and duration are currently unknown. There may be disruptions to telephony and data services.
Utilities provider ESB described the outage as affecting parts of the city, while Alertswiss and several media reports state it is city-wide. ESB said its technical service team is deployed and working on identifying the origin of the fault and restoring power as quickly as possible.
Public safety guidance
Authorities have stressed that there is no danger and that no special measures are required from the population. However, Alertswiss issued several specific recommendations: residents should not use elevators, should switch off all mains-powered appliances, and are advised to remain where they are and limit unnecessary movement.
Next steps
The situation remains dynamic. The exact cause of the power failure had not been determined as of the morning reports. No timeline for restoration of service has been communicated by ESB or the authorities. Further updates are expected later on Friday morning.
