Beijing, Nov. 6, (dpa/GNA) – A severe winter storm in Mongolia and northern China has killed several herders and caused transportation chaos in the worst-hit areas.
Emergency authorities in Mongolia reported on Monday that six women, one man and a 12-year-old boy died on Sunday in the snowstorms whilst tending to their herds.
Search teams reportedly discovered the bodies in the central provinces of Övörkhangai and Erdenesant.
In northern China near the border with Mongolia, the central weather authority predicted heavy snowstorms and issued the highest level of warnings for parts of the region. The provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia were particularly affected. People were advised to stay indoors.
Local meteorologists forecast up to 30 centimetres of fresh snow.
Kindergartens and schools in several districts of Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang, were closed on Monday, due to heavy snowfall.
About 24,000 workers were sent to clear the city’s streets, according to a report from state newspaper China Daily.
The local airport cancelled dozens of flights, and authorities closed motorway entrances in other provinces.
In the capital Beijing, the authorities also turned on heating a week earlier than planned. There is usually a fixed start date in China for heating to be turned on in most residential buildings.
GNA