Heavy snow closes roads, schools in China

• Tweet

HARBIN, China, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Highways and schools in two northeast Chinese provinces were closed Tuesday, by two days of snow and sleet, local authorities said.

In Heilongjiang province, major highways linking the capital Harbin with other cities in the province have been closed since 7:30 p.m. Monday local time, Xinhua reported.

Some 400 coaches were stranded in the heavy snow on Monday, said Cui Yang, an official with the Harbin Highway Transport Terminal. He predicted more would be stranded on Tuesday.

Flights in and out of Harbin Taiping International Airport have not been affected.

Schools in mountainous and semi-mountainous regions of Jilin province were urged to remain closed until Wednesday. Principals in other parts of the province were asked to stop or reschedule classes if the weather worsened.

In the Jilin capital of Changchun, traffic authorities have increased the number of buses to help residents move around the city.