Asia-Pacific News

Fuel supplies short as record freeze hits Beijing

Jan 5, 2010, 12:20 GMT

Beijing - The Chinese capital recorded its coldest day for 29 years on Tuesday as state media said fuel supplies were running short in parts of snow-hit northern China.

The temperature in central Beijing hit a low of minus 16 degrees Celsius early Tuesday and was forecast to dip again to a similar level overnight, while outlying suburban areas recorded temperatures as low as minus 23 degrees Celsius.

The city was still recovering from the heaviest snowfall in nearly 60 years over the weekend, while the official Xinhua news agency said some area heating schemes were struggling to maintain minimum indoor temperatures.

The agency quoted Zhou Gang, director of the State Grid's safety inspection department, as saying more than 3,000 staff were on duty to repair snow-damaged electricity power lines in Beijing.

The severe weather paralysed transportation in many parts of northern China on Monday, also affecting central and eastern regions as it moved southwards across China.

Some central and eastern China provinces were reporting shortages of coal for power generation, forcing several cities to reduce power supplies, the agency said.

The eastern city of Hangzhou also began rationing natural gas supplies for industrial users, it said.

China's daily electricity generation was up 27 per cent year-on-year from January 1-3, the State Grid said.

Schools in Beijing and the nearby city of Tianjin were closed Monday while many expressways were also closed to traffic as the government mobilized 300,000 people to clear snow from Beijing's largely empty streets.

Snow up to 33.5 centimetres deep accumulated in parts of central Beijing while the outlying Huairou district reported snow lying up to 37.5 centimetres deep.

In the nearby Inner Mongolia region, about 1,400 passengers were rescued from a train stranded by heavy snow on Sunday.

Temperatures in Inner Mongolia's northernmost district of Hulun Buir, which borders Russia and Mongolia, were forecast to hit a low of minus 32 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.



COMMENT

blog comments powered by Disqus

Latest Headlines in Asia-Pacific

Older Talkback

Follow Us

Follow M&C on Pinterest

Search

Custom Search

Also Check Out

Charlize Theron wants to go into space

Charlize Theron wants to go into space
Charlize Theron has admitted she would love to go into space - but thinks it would be very expensive ... more

Cheryl Cole: Personal life is 'right'

Cheryl Cole: Personal life is right
Chderyl Cole wants to have lots of children but thinks she is right to wait to start a family. ... more

Peter Andre ready to move on

Peter Andre ready to move on
Peter Andre is finally ready to move on from ex-wife Katie Price and wonders if he has already met the person he is 'supposed' to marry. ... more

Prince William's tribute to role model Queen

Prince Williams tribute to role model Queen
Britain's Prince William has paid tribute to his grandmother Queen Elizabeth for being an 'incredible role model'. ... more

Mariah Carey's sister wants reconciliation

Mariah Careys sister wants reconciliation
Mariah Carey's estranged sister Alison is desperate to mend her rift with the singer and meet the star's twins Moroccan and Monroe for the first time. ... more

Robin Gibb had kidney failure

Robin Gibb had kidney failure
Robin Gibb's son RJ says the Bee Gees singer's death was caused by kidney and liver failure, ... more

Matthew Morrison's sexy meals

Matthew Morrisons sexy meals
Matthew Morrison thinks cooking is 'sexy' and loves sharing candlelit dinners with his girlfriend Renee Puente. ... more

Apl.de.Ap praises 'beautiful' Cheryl

Apl.de.Ap praises beautiful Cheryl
Black Eyed Peas star Apl.de.Ap thinks Cheryl Cole is a 'beautiful' woman. ... more

Queen Elizabeth loves to laugh with her grandkids

Queen Elizabeth loves to laugh with her grandkids
Britain's Queen Elizabeth loves to share a laugh with her grandchildren and find out about their lives outside of their royal duties. ... more

David Hasselhoff to buy bar for Hayley

David Hasselhoff to buy bar for Hayley
David Hasselhoff wants to buy his Welsh girlfriend Hayley Roberts a bar which he will call the Hoff & Hounds. ... more