Heavy snow disrupts traffic in east, central China

Thousands of passengers have been stranded on their way back to work from Spring Festival, due to heavy snow sweeping through central and eastern China.

Deicing vehicles clear snow off a plane at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2014.  (Xinhua/Jing Lei)

The provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang were particularly hard hit, with some areas seeing up to 12 centimeters in snow. This led to dozens of flights being delayed on Sunday. Icy weather also created havoc on the roads, with a number of accidents forcing authorities to close ramp access to expressways.

The National Meteorological Center has issued a blizzard alert, saying snow and sleet will continue until Monday, bringing temperatures down by as much as 8 degrees Celsius.