Heavy snow affects holiday travel

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-28-2008 08:44

Bad weather and power shortages have cut off rail link between Guangzhou and Beijing in several places. The most serious are those across south China's Hunan province. Hundreds of trains have been delayed or canceled.

Passengers queue at the Fuzhou Railway Station to buy or  refund tickets after the bad weather blocked trains arriving  in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province, Jan. 27, 2008.  (Xinhua Photo)

In Guangzhou, more than 100,000 people have been stranded. In order to resume train services as quickly as possible, more than ten thousand workers have been dispatched to repair power lines damaged by bad weather.

Meanwhile, authorities in the southwestern Guizhou province and the eastern Anhui province have closed many highways. Thousands of trucks carrying coal and food were stalled on interstate highways.

With the coming of a new cold front, Hunan province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are experiencing record low temperatures.

The national meteorological authority says the freezing weather will continue to pummel provinces from west to east in the coming days, with heavy snow possible in Shanghai and neighboring provinces. This is likely to have an impact on the region's business and manufacturing sectors.

Weather officials are also urging officials in the telecom, transport, and power sectors to be especially prepared for the new round of snow storms.

The latest statistics show that nearly 70 million people in 14 provinces have been affected.

Editor:Zhang Ning