A car veered off an icy road and plunged into a 300-meter-deep ravine early on Friday in east China, killing three and injuring seven, two severely, the local government said.

The accident, which occurred at about 5 AM in Taishun County, Zhejiang Province, was the latest tragedy amid a winter freeze that has battered the country's central, eastern and southern regions since mid-January.

The car, carrying 10 people, was en route to Taishun from the provincial capital, Hangzhou, the local government said. No further details were provided.

During the prolonged snow, rain and cold, the worst in 50 years, dozens have died, including 25 killed after their bus veered off a slippery mountain road in the southwestern province of Guizhou on Tuesday morning.

Heavy snow has forced the closure of airports and expressways and caused train delays, stranding tens of thousands returning home for family reunions during next week's Spring Festival, the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year that falls on February 7 this year.

It has also affected the normal lives of people and led to power cuts, building collapses, crop damages and dead livestock.

(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2008)