DENVER -- Adding to an already frustrating situation, the state unemployment online system crashed over the weekend.

Bill Thonnes, spokesman for Colorado Department of Labor, confirmed the agency’s online system that handles new unemployment claims and continuing cases went down.

“This has happened to a lot of other states,” Thonnes said. “Fortunately this is the first time it has happened to us.”

As a result of the system failure, the department’s call center has been inundated with phone calls, adding to normally an already heavy call load.

Thonnes said the Department of Labor’s information management staff is working to fix the problem. While there is no estimate on when it will be fixed, Thonnes said they hope to have the system back online by the end of Monday.

Thonnes said to help claimants deal with the inconvenience, anyone filing a new claim has through Wednesday to make it effective for this week. People reporting for continuing claims will have through Friday.