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China's winter coldest in 100 years
Millions remained stranded in China on Monday ahead of the biggest holiday of the year as parts of the country suffered their coldest winter in a century.
- Reuters
- Published: 23:31 February 4, 2008
Chenzhou, China: Millions remained stranded in China on Monday ahead of the biggest holiday of the year as parts of the country suffered their coldest winter in a century.
Freezing storms have killed scores of people and left travellers stranded before the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival - the only opportunity many people have to take a holiday all year.
They have also brought China unwanted negative publicity six months before the Olympics in Beijing.
President Hu Jintao chaired an emergency Politburo meeting on Sunday for the second time in a week to discuss rescue efforts. "We have to be clear-minded that the inclement weather and severe disaster will continue to plague certain regions in the south," said a statement issued after Sunday's meeting. "Relief work will continue to face challenges, posing a tough task."
The China Meteorological Administration said the weather was the coldest in 100 years in central Hubei and Hunan provinces, going by the total number of consecutive days of average temperature less than one degree Celsius (33.8 degrees Fahrenheit).
But it expected brighter weather ahead.
"The weather over the disaster-stricken regions is likely to turn better in the next several days, but it is still necessary to remain alert for possible low temperatures, frozen rain, snow, freezing and heavy fog," it said in a statement.
Stampede
Four people died after a snow-laden roof collapsed at a fuel station in the eastern city of Nanjing on Sunday, Xinhua news agency said. One person was killed in a stampede at Guangzhou railway station in the south as people rushed to board trains.
Roads and railways, some of which have been blocked for days, have started to move again, and fewer flights were being cancelled, state media said, offering a glimmer of hope.
But some areas were also blanketed by fog, and more snow, rain and sleet was expected later yesterday.
In China's commercial capital of Shanghai, 795,000 people left by train on Saturday alone, and a further 110,000 left by road on Sunday, Xinhua news agency said.
Authorities in the southern city of Guangzhou said their priority was to clear the backlog of travellers, having cajoled millions of migrant workers to stay put and skip the holiday.
Elsewhere, efforts turned to restoring power and water, which some cities, like Chenzhou in the south, have been without for more than a week, causing some to question China's ability to handle emergencies months before Beijing holds the Olympics.
"Without power the only information we have been getting is by text message from the government," said Chenzhou resident Zheng Ninghong, tending a fruit stall amid the slush.
China has largely avoided unrest throughout the crisis, in part due to hundreds of thousands of soldiers and paramilitary police that have been deployed.
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