Cold wave hits most of China, shutting highways, roads (video)

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for "all-out" emergency response efforts as a cold wave gripped China on Friday, with temperatures dropping below freezing across much of the country and snowfall affecting transportation in many places, UNN reports citing Reuters.

Details

According to forecasts, temperatures are expected to drop to minus 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Heilongjiang province in the northeast and Xinjiang region in the northwest of the country, as well as in Inner Mongolia and Gansu and Qinghai provinces. 

Xi Jinping, who visited the southern region of Guangxi on Thursday and Friday, said that heavy rain and snowfall in many parts of the country had affected power supply, transportation and people's lives, the official Xinhua news agency reported. He added that he had advised local governments to clarify their precautionary measures and improve their contingency plans.

The cold wave that began earlier this week moved across the country from north to south and is expected to drop by the weekend, although the amount of rain and snow will decrease, the country's meteorological center said.

The city of Yichun in Heilongjiang province may break the record low temperature of minus 47.9°C set in January 1980 early next week, the newspaper writes.

In Henan province, snowfall and icy roads, as well as heavy fog, caused numerous accidents on several highways, leading to traffic adjustments.

Traffic authorities in the Ningxia region said some of the highways had become dangerous and imposed temporary traffic measures due to the snowfall. According to state media, some highways were also closed in neighboring Gansu and train traffic was suspended.

In the southern coastal province of Guangdong, maritime authorities suspended at least 29 passenger ferry routes, state television reported.

Ferries and some buses were temporarily halted early Friday morning in Shanghai, as the financial center issued its first cold weather warning of the year, with temperatures expected to reach -6°C over the weekend.

In the southwest, sections of many national and provincial highways in Tibetan cities such as Shigadze and Nyingchi were blocked due to snow, ice and poor visibility.

Beijing and the provinces of Jiangxi and Shanxi also took measures to protect fruit and vegetable crops from damage and disease caused by the frost, state media reported.

China lifted its blizzard warning before dawn on Friday, but said heavy snowfall was forecast for parts of Liaoning and Jilin provinces in the northeast, as well as Shandong.

In Shenyang, Liaoning province, snowfall and strong winds are forecast through Saturday.

Next week, cold air will continue to flow across the country from north to south, keeping temperatures low in the central and eastern regions.

Addendum

On the outskirts of Beijing, authorities investigating a crash on a commuter rail line said a train car failed to brake while traveling downhill and collided with another that had stopped due to deteriorating track conditions caused by snow.

Authorities statedthat 515 people were sent to hospitals for medical examination after the accident, many of them suffering from broken bones.