YICHANG - More than 700 cargo ships have been stranded on a section of the Yangtze River near the Three Gorges Dam in central Hubei Province due to heavy fog that has shrouded the region for two days.

The thick fog began to engulf the area Saturday afternoon and the visibility was once reduced to less than 50 meters, which has led to a halt to traffic for more than 40 hours on the Three Gorges Dam river section, according to the Three Gorges Dam Navigation Bureau.

As of noon on Monday, more than 700 ships had been stranded and the fog showed no signs of dissipating, the bureau said.