Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Snowstorms in eastern China disrupted road, air and rail traffic stranding and delaying travelers at the start of the weeklong Lunar New Year holiday.
The northwestern part of Zhejiang province reported blizzard conditions and snowfall of 5 to 7 centimeters (2 to 3 inches), with snow also falling in Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, the Chinese Meteorological Administration reported on its Web site today. To the south, freezing rain fell in Guizhou province and in western Hunan province, the bureau said.
The annual Lunar New Year is the country’s busiest travel season with China’s major waterways and roads moving 66.9 million people in the two weeks to Feb. 12, the transport ministry said in a statement. Weather-hampered travel conditions have lead to airport skirmishes, thousands of stranded bus passengers and caused at least two auto fatalities, according to local media reports.
In Changsha, capital of Hunan province, 30 angry passengers booked on a China Southern Airlines Co. flight clashed with guards, trying to push their way through a security check after their flight was canceled due to weather, China Daily reported, citing a witness.
Snowstorms closed 30 highways across five provinces, leaving thousands stranded at bus depots, China Central Television said Feb. 12, citing the Ministry of Transport. As many as 2,000 people were waiting in Nanjing for buses, and others were marooned in cities including Beijing and Shanghai, the state broadcaster said.
In the northwestern province of Shaanxi, police blamed icy road conditions on an eight-car expressway accident which killed two and injured 28 on Feb. 11, Xinhua News Agency reported. Four buses involved in the accident were carrying migrant workers heading home to southwestern China’s Sichuan province, the report said.
A blizzard warning was issued in Jiangsu province, China Central Television reported. More favorable weather on Feb. 12 helped travelers reach their destinations in time before the Lunar New Year’s Eve.
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