Thousands Stranded on Ice-coated Roads

More than 10,000 people spent their three-day New Year's Day holiday clearing ice-coated highways in central China's Hunan Province where thousands of passengers were still stranded due to slowed traffic.

The work continued Tuesday as nearly 2,500 people in some 660 vehicles were stranded along the Kunming-Shanghai expressway in Hunan, after a cold spell brought snow to the region since January 1.

As of Tuesday morning, 20 sections of four inter-province expressways and 10 provincial highways were still closed due to thick ice on the road, said He Dingguang with the provincial highway management administration.

"We have drawn on the experience in 2008 to organize people to clean up the icy roads and prepare emergency supplies," said He.

In the winter of 2008 after unprecedented snow and ice coated south China roads, about 100,000 people were stranded on the Beijing-Zhuhai expressway in Hunan alone.

Weather forecasters predict the low temperature will persist through till Jan. 12 and a new round of snow will hit the province on Jan. 8.

Many icy highways in southwest China's Guizhou Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have reopened as the relief work kicks in, but the local highway authorities are still on guard.

Nandan County in Guangxi has prepared instant noodles, bottled water, down coats, and quilts, altogether worth 2.7 million yuan (408,700 U.S. dollars).

Four ambulances and 200 policemen are on call for emergencies in the county as well.

Icy rain and a deep freeze wreaked havoc in southern China in 2008, stalling traffic, damaging power facilities, and disrupting people's lives.

(Xinhua News Agency January 4, 2011)