At least 40 high-speed trains were delayed by a four-hour energy blackout that hit central and southern areas on Sunday.

The 1,068-km Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway was paralyzed at 3:46 pm.

Services were disrupted after a blackout occurred between Chenzhou West Railway Station in Hunan province and Lechang East Railway Station in Guangdong province, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported.

A worker at Changsha South Railway Station said that the blackout was caused by heavy rain. At least 40 high-speed trains were delayed, according to the report.

A passenger said in a micro blog that all the food on the train was sold out and passengers were hungry.

The electricity was restored at about 7:20 pm on Sunday and Guangzhou Railway Corp added two extra high-speed trains, the report said.