Thousands stranded after fog closes airport in China
Baku, December 28 (AZERTAC). Heavy fog forced authorities in southwest China to shut down a dozen highways and a regional airport, stranding thousands of passengers for more than seven hours, state-run media said Tuesday.
Nearly 10,000 travelers were stranded at the Shuangliu Airport in Chengdu City, the capital of Sichuan province, on Tuesday morning the Xinhua news agency said.
On Monday, heavy fog in southwest China contributed to a 100-vehicle collision that killed seven people and wounded 15 others, Xinhua said. The pile up occurred in Guizhou province after a truck traveling in dense fog crashed into a gas station, Xinhua said.
About 100 vehicles then crashed into the back of one another, local officials told Xinhua. The airport was closed at 6:30 am as visibility dropped to 40 meters due to the fog that began to spread in the city, said Lu Junming, an airport officer. Four domestic flights were cancelled and 113 others were delayed, leaving the passengers to wait for departure in airplanes or terminals.
The airport authorities provided food and water to the stranded passengers. Among the delayed flights, 18 were heading abroad, including tourist destinations in southeast Asian nations. Affected flights gradually took off or landed after the airport resumed operation at 10:45 am and most of the stranded passengers have got onboard as of 4 pm, said Lu. The airport authorities had arranged 576 flights for Friday. The closure left 466 flights to postpone takeoff or landing and some have to fly overnight. But Saturday`s schedule will not be affected, the airport authorities said. Meteorologists said dampness and sufficient sunlight jointly produced the fog weather.
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