North China digging out from paralyzing snowfall (2)

More than 1,000 vehicles lined up on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway yesterday at the Badaling section, where snow as deep as 80 centimeters had fallen. The military was summoned to clear snow and deliver food and drink to stranded drivers.

Beijing traffic authorities kicked in their highest level of emergency response for snow and closed some expressway sections. The capital's traffic management bureau has all its 7,000 traffic police on duty, Xinhua reported.

Flights in and out of Beijing, severely affected by the bad weather on Saturday, gradually resumed early yesterday, said traffic officials. However, as snows returned yesterday afternoon, only half of the incoming planes were able to land on schedule due to icy conditions.

In northeast China, some small airports were shut down yesterday because of icy runways. Train service in northern Chinese cities like Shenyang and Baotou reported long delays, officials said yesterday.

Eight train trips to Yanqing in the capital were canceled yesterday due to the heavy snow in mountain areas north of Beijing. Power and water and heat were cut in some parts of Yanqing as the city government struggled to get services restored.