Asia-Pacific
Big chill grips north Asia, economic impact 'negligible'
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-01-04 19:52
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 Snow cleaners work at full tilt at Beijing Capital International Airport January 3, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua] |
Airlines at Beijing's main airport laid on an extra 100 flights on Monday to help get stranded passengers out, but hundreds of flights were still either severely delayed or cancelled.
"Flights will return to normal by this evening," an airport official told Reuters by telephone.
The icy snap could strain China's gas and coal supplies. Unusually cold weather in the past two months has caused gas shortages as distribution networks struggled to meet demand.
Sections of highways around Beijing, the nearby port city of Tianjin, as well as neighbouring provinces, including the big coal producer Shanxi province, remained cut on Monday morning, the national ministry of transport said.
Normally bustling shopping districts in Beijing were empty, and usually busy roads were devoid of much traffic.
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Media reports in India said at least 60 people died over the weekend due to the cold weather in the north and east of the country.
"We are looking into the deaths and in the meantime have asked local authorities to arrange bonfires in the evening for the homeless," said Satyendra Prasad, a senior official of the Bihar government, adding all schools had been closed.
A heavy blanket of fog in New Delhi over the last few days forced airport authorities to cancel or delay dozens of flights from the capital. Train services were also disrupted.
