Heavy snow disrupts traffic, affects life in China

The first snow of the new year, which began hitting China on Wednesday, has continued to affect life and traffic in the country.

As of Saturday afternoon, the snow had killed one person and affected more than 510,000 people in central China's Hubei Province, according to the provincial civil affairs bureau.

It said that the snow had forced relocation of 682 people, flattened 286 houses, damaged 826 houses and about 31,380 hectares of crops, causing a total economic losses of 723 million yuan (111.4 million U.S. dollars).

In cities including Xiangyang and Suizhou, a record 30 cm of snow was seen on Friday night.

In Jiangsu Province, 13 sections of expressways remained closed due to wet and slippery conditions, the provincial transport department said.

In the neighboring Anhui Province, 51 scenic spots in nine cities were also shut due to safety concerns, the provincial tourism authority said.

According to the provincial government on Friday, the worst snowstorms since 2008 have killed 13 people, causing direct economic losses of 1.26 billion yuan (190 million U.S. dollars) and 790 million yuan of losses in agriculture.

In addition to Hubei, Anhui and Jiangsu, the provinces of Henan, Hunan and Shaanxi in central and northern China have all suffered from heavy snow this week.