Fog hangs across China during Spring Festival travel peak

Chinese New Year

Fog (Xinhua/Lu Bo’an)

Dense fog descended on several regions in east China on Monday and Tuesday, blocking people on their way home during the peak of Spring Festival travel.

A heavy fog hit Siyang County in east China’s Jiangsu province on Monday night, reducing visibility in some areas to less than 10 meters (33 feet).

Highway authorities closed all the expressway sections in the county, causing vehicles to wait long lines near toll gates Tuesday morning.

“I’m on my way home. I’ve been waiting here for more than three hours,” a driver said.

Passengers were seen stranded at long-distance bus stations in the county. The foggy weather also caused a pile-up involving more than 10 vehicles on an expressway section in Sheyang County in Jiangsu on Monday evening. One coach driver was injured and sent to the hospital.

Fog also reduced visibility to less than 65 feet in Longkou City in east China’s Shandong province Tuesday morning, forcing all the boats at the Longkou Port to halt operations.

Boats leaving and entering the port were delayed up to 10 hours.

The fog also postponed more than 10 domestic inbound flights, and 16 domestic outbound flights, and left about 2,000 passengers stranded at the Xinqiao Airport in Hefeit City in east China on Tuesday. The airport resumed operation by 10 a.m., after the fog began to dissipate.

Report complied with information from AP reports