BEIJING.– Thousands of drivers were trapped on highways in central China due to heavy snowfall that affected travel on the eve of the Lunar New Year.
Aerial images showed lengthy traffic jams in Hubei province on Monday night. About 4,000 vehicles were stranded due to icy conditions, a provincial official told state television CCTV. The traffic jams are expected to clear on Tuesday.
According to the weather forecast, heavy snowfall, unusual in central China, will continue until Wednesday.
Millions of people return home to celebrate the Lunar New Year this Saturday. Families usually gather for dinner the night before.
The airport in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, temporarily closed its runways on several occasions due to ice. Some flights and trains were cancelled, leaving passengers stranded for hours.
In neighboring Hunan province, one person was killed and 13 others injured Monday after a roof collapsed at an agricultural produce fair following heavy snowfall, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, adding that blankets and blankets were being sent. other relief items to the region.
Source: With information from AP
