Snowfall leads to travel disruption in China amid Spring Festival

China

Heavy snowfall has enveloped some areas of central and eastern China since Wednesday.

It is leading to travel and transport disruption amid the ongoing Spring Festival.

The National Meteorological Center on Sunday renewed an orange alert for snowstorms in some parts of China.

It is predicting heavy snow in provinces including Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong.

In the eastern province of Anhui, over 95 highway toll stations have refused entry to vehicles as of Sunday morning due to snowy and freezing conditions.

This situation is causing inconvenience for many travellers during the travel surge known as “chunyun”.

It started on Jan 26 and will end on March 5.

In Hefei, the provincial capital, authorities have closed three main coach stations while mobilizing more than 300 units of machinery and vehicles to clear snow.

In central China’s Hubei Province, freezing rain and snow over the past few days have disrupted flights and railway traffic in several cities, including Wuhan, the provincial capital and a transportation hub.

According to an airport group company, both runways at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport were closed from Saturday evening due to adverse weather.

The airport initiated an emergency response for snow and ice removal early on Saturday morning. the Runways may resume operations on Sunday.

Additionally the airport in the province’s city of Jingzhou has also been closed since Saturday.

China Railway Wuhan Bureau Group Co. Ltd. said on Sunday that it plans to suspend the operation of 141 round trips due to the widespread snowfall and freezing weather.

In the neighboring Hunan Province, authorities are trying to reach four villages in the city of Linxiang.

Fallen trees blocked roads and knocked out power supplies and telecommunication for more than 2,000 villagers.
* Travel And Tour World