Record snowfall paralyzes northeast China with traffic chaos

[Anchor]

In China, the northeastern region, including Heilongjiang Province, has experienced the heaviest snowfall ever recorded in November.

Nearly 50 centimeters of snow fell, causing a traffic chaos.

Kim Min-jung reports from Beijing.

[Report]

Roads were paralyzed by vehicles trapped in the heavy snow.

It’s a challenging commute with no knowing when you’ll arrive.

[Heilongjiang resident: "I’m on my way to work, but it seems I’ll have to leave work right after I arrive."]

Some citizens have abandoned their cars and are waddling on foot.

Dozens of citizens tried to push a bus, but the wheels are just spinning in the unprecedented snowfall.

An ambulance also came to a halt right before the front of a hospital.

In a rush, paramedics carried the patient to the hospital themselves.

A large amount of moisture from the East Sea has led to heavy snowfall, particularly in Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China.

In some areas, the accumulated snowfall reached 49 cm, marking the highest snowfall since observations began in 1959.

At one point, a red alert for heavy snowfall was issued in some places.

[Heilongjiang resident: "I’ll look for our car. I found it. It’s buried here."]

Traffic chaos continued as over 40 sections of highways were closed across Heilongjiang Province.

In the city of Hegang, which suffered significant damage from the snowfall, more than 5,800 snow removal personnel were mobilized.

This heavy snowfall is expected to continue locally in Heilongjiang Province until the day after tomorrow.

Chinese meteorological authorities forecast that after the intensity of the snowfall in the northeastern region subsides, a cold wave with rapidly dropping temperatures will follow.

This is Kim Min-jung from KBS News in Beijing.