A car veered off an icy road and plunged into a 300-meter-deep
ravine early on Friday in east China, killing three and injuring
seven, two severely, the local government said.
The accident, which occurred at about 5 a.m. in Taishun County,
Zhejiang Province, was the latest tragedy amid a winter freeze that
has battered the country's central, eastern and southern regions
since mid-January.
The car, carrying 10 people, was en route to Taishun from the
provincial capital, Hangzhou, the local government said. No further
details were provided.
During the prolonged snow, rain and cold, the worst in 50 years,
dozens have died, including 25 killed after their bus veered off a
slippery mountain road in the southwestern province of Guizhou on
Tuesday morning.
Heavy snow has forced the closure of airports and expressways
and caused train delays, stranding tens of thousands returning home
for family reunions during next week's Spring Festival, the
traditional Chinese Lunar New Year that falls on Feb. 7 this
year.
It has also affected the normal lives of people and led to power
cuts, building collapses, crop damages and dead livestock.
(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2008)