Heavy snow in northern China kills several

• Source: Global Times
• [03:06 November 13 2009]
• Comments

Premier Wen Jiabao went to the snow-ravaged Shijiazhuang by train Thursday afternoon to supervise relief operation.

He also went to a border section between Hebei and Shanxi provinces to visit stranded passengers on the Shijiazhuang- Taiyuan expressway and inspect the disaster situation.

More than 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the nation have reported precipitous drop of temperatures and battering snow, while North China is the hardest-hit region, meteorological expert and former head of Central Meteorological Observatory Li Xiaoquan said.

Shaanxi Province also posted the heaviest snowfall in history, according to the national meteorological office, and the power supply was been cut off at a number of locations.

An animal farm in Xianyang of the province fell down under the pressure of snow, leading to three deaths of locals.

A crushed trading market in Luoyang, Henan Province claimed two residents.

The Taiyuan Airport in Shanxi was closed 2:15 am Wednesday, and the 26-hour closure before reopening at 9 am affected 700 passengers.

Ministry of Transport reported road congestions in seven provinces and regions including Hebei, Shanxi and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Agencies contributed to this story