China snowstorms wreak havoc
China’s worst snowstorms in 50 years are creating havoc as millions of Chinese head back home for the Chinese New Year.
The bad weather, which started on 10 January, could not have come at a worse time. More than 200 million migrant workers travel between cities and their rural homes to be with their families for the festive period.
At least 15 airports have been closed at various times and 6,500 flights have been cancelled, various reports said. At least 49 people have died, including 25 killed yesterday when a bus skidded off a slippery road in Zunyi, Guizhou province, Xinhua reported.
In Guangdong province, officials advised two thirds of its 30 million migrant workers to stay in the cities. More than half a million rail passengers are stranded in Guangzhou because the southern end of the Beijing-Guangzhou line is blocked by heavy snow in Hunan.
State television showed Premier Wen Jiabao using a megaphone to reassure travellers stuck at Changsha railway station in the central province of Hunan. “I am deeply apologetic that you are stranded and not able to go home earlier,” he was quoted telling by The Independent.
The lunar new year holiday starts on 7 February but officially lasts for a week. Millions get back home early to be with their families. The yearly movement always puts huge pressure on the transport network.
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