Northern China: Heavy Snowfall Causes Chaos

Heavy snowfalls and gale force winds in northern China have brought bitter cold and fresh worries for farmers.

Inner Mongolia has seen its coldest weather in 30 years.

A state media report says the freezing conditions have left one person dead and a further 276 injured or sick, with around 5,400 people left homeless. Thousands of livestock are dead or starving as well.

Supplies are being delivered to stranded villages, some of which have been isolated for over a week.

State television showed pictures of people in a remote area of Xinjiang trudging through deep snow with horses and even camels to collect sacks of supplies.

Shipping has also been affected, with severe sea ice stranding boats off the coast of eastern Shandong.

The ice sheet is 8 to 12 inches thick and left hundreds of boats frozen in their ports. There’s also the threat of floating ice further out to sea that could measure more than 20 inches thick.

The harsh weather has pushed energy demand to new peaks, while transport snarls have slowed coal supplies–already low as power and coal companies haggle over prices.

(NTDTV)