Blizzard in northeast China suspends school, traffic

Heavy snow, coupled with wind, battered Heihe city of Heilongjiang province, Dec 2.[Photo/CFP]

HARBIN -- Schools and traffic were suspended in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province on Tuesday as an ongoing blizzard continued pelting the region with snow.

More than 100,000 students in primary and high schools and kindergartens were asked to stay at home after snowstorms battered the cities of Jixi, Mudanjiang and Jiamusi, according to local education authorities.

Many expressways were closed across the province and the airport of Dongji, located in the border county of Fuyuan, was also closed.

Snow depth reached up to 70 cm in the county seat of Fuyuan, leaving residents struggling to open doors to their homes.

"I got up at 5 am, and the snow on the ground had reached my waist. It was hard to open the door," said local resident Kong Fanjun.

Sanitation departments in the county mobilized staff to work around the clock to clean accumulated snow on road. Heating suppliers were asked to ensure the function of the heating systems as the temperature in the county reached as low as minus 17 degrees Celsius.

According to the Central Meteorological Center, more snow is expected to hit most parts of the province from Tuesday to Wednesday, with snowfall estimated at 10 to 14 mm.