HEAVY snow and ice has continued to affect central and eastern parts of China over the weekend, causing economic losses, and cancellations and delays to flights and coaches.
At Huanghua International Airport in Changsha, capital of Central China’s Hunan Province, all inbound and outbound flights were halted yesterday morning as the runway was covered by ice up to 2 centimeters thick.
Airport authorities dispatched more than 1,000 staff and over a dozen equipment vehicles for de-icing work.
Eastern Jiangsu Province saw a maximum snowfall of 11.6 millimeters, with a snow depth of up to 11 centimeters as of 2 p.m. Saturday, leading to a shortage of de-icing salt in Nanjing, the provincial capital.
More than 10,000 long-distance coaches were canceled, leaving 331 passengers stranded. More than 420 bus lines were closed across the province.
Over 7,000 people in the neighboring Anhui Province were affected by the snowfall. Direct economic losses of 24.3 million yuan (US$3.8 million), including over 18 million yuan of agricultural losses, were counted in three cities in Anhui.
In Hunan Province, many highway sections were closed or limited the number of passing vehicles due to snow and ice.
More than 670,000 people in Central Hubei Province were affected by the snowfall that started Wednesday, with direct economic losses of more than 270 million yuan as a result of damaged homes and crops.
The provincial civil affairs department has allocated 124,000 yuan for disaster relief and nearly 6,000 overcoats and quilts to affected residents.
According to the emergency center of Shiyan City, Hubei, a pregnant woman with an intracranial tumor in a local hospital needed to be transferred to another hospital for an emergency operation.
A police motorcade was dispatched to clear the traffic Saturday and a helicopter was used to transport the patient. The baby was born in the afternoon. (Xinhua)