China battles blizzard, quake victims safe

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China battles blizzard, quake victims safe

(Xinhua) 18:59, November 18, 2013

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A sanitation worker clears the snow on a road in Harbin City, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Nov. 17, 2013. Traffic and schools have been hit in northeast China's Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces as a blizzard closed expressways and schools and delayed flights. (Xinhua/Zhang Qingyun)

CHANGCHUN, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- China has been battling the first blizzard of the winter for a third day, with deaths reported on dangerous, icy roads.

The blizzard has swept through the northeast Chinese provinces of Jilin, Heilongjiang and Liaoning since Saturday, leaving many highways and schools closed, and flights and trains delayed on Monday.

CITIES IN SLOW MOTION

"Right now, the city is pretty much like the world in the slow-motion modes often seen in Hollywood romances," wrote one Harbin citizen on Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter, to portray the provincial capital of Heilongjiang trapped in traffic jams.

However, the reality is far less romantic.

At least four people have been killed and seven others injured in traffic accidents on slippery frozen roads in Jilin.

The provincial public security department has mobilized extra traffic police to conduct 24-hour patrols of the roads and urged drivers to show caution.

Frozen highways have been closed in most northeastern cities. Though air and rail traffic have remained operational, there have been reports of delays to flights and trains.

In the populous downtown areas, the traffic is even worse. Hundreds of vehicles have been creeping along the streets of Harbin at the same speed as pedestrians.

Zhao Yuwen, a taxi driver in Harbin, told Xinhua that his first and last fare of the day took him over an hour, rather than the usual 10 minutes in good weather.

"It's only 5 km from the train station to the provincial hospital, but it took much more time than usual today. So, I decided to go back home earlier and won't work until the storm's over," said Zhao.

As vehicles struggled their way through snow with an average depth of 20 cm, there have been long queues at bus stops and taxi stands.

Harbin resident Liu Zhi complained of waiting over half an hour for a bus before giving up and sharing a taxi with others.

More than 20,000 police and members of the public have been working in rounds to clear snow and ice from the streets, but their efforts have not been enough, with snow continuing to accumulate.

Despite the inconveniences, many citizens have shown warmth in the chilly days by helping each other.

Pictures of people lending a hand to push cars trapped in snow have sprung up on Weibo and won thousands of "like" hits.