Heavy snow blocks expressways in NE China

Heavy snow and freezing temperature have blocked traffic in 17 expressways in northeast China, stranding travellers and forcing closures of roads.

As of 9 a.m. Monday, heavy snowfall and ice forced complete closure of 10 expressways and partial closure of another seven in northeast China's Liaoning Province, local transport authorities said. Some roads had been closed for more than 12 hours.

The snowy weather began on Sunday morning and lasted through early Monday, leaving the province covered with two millimeters of snow on average, according to the provincial meteorology department. Workers have been removing snow since Sunday night.

Traffic within the province has been seriously affected, as large vehicles face travel limits on regular roads and some coach services were either canceled or delayed as a result of the expressway closures.

A runway at an airport in the provincial capital Shenyang was also closed for three hours on Sunday night. It reopened after snow was removed from the track.

The heavy snow has also dragged local temperature to a new low this year, with some region in the province expected to brave temperature as low as minus 24 celsius degree.