Beijing, December 17: More than 4,000 vehicles and 8,000 people remained stranded Friday as ice blocked a section of the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao freeway caused by a severe cold that swept across southern China, a media report said.
The temperatures dipped to minus three degrees Celsius Wednesday, bringing the traffic to a halt as ice covered the sections of the freeway in Shaoguan county of Guangdong province, China Daily reports.
On Thursday, the temperatures dipped further to minus five degrees Censius, prompting the traffic police to declare an emergency.
The situation worsed Friday as the ice crust got thicker by over five centimeters due to the accumulated snow from the past three days. Meanwhile, police have closed some of the entrances to the freeway.