At least six dead, millions affected by China's cold snap

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from extremely cold weather across north and east China rose to six on Wednesday with millions of others affected.

In Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, two deaths had been reported as of Wednesday. Police said a student froze to death when he got lost after school in windy weather. Police were still investigating the other case.

In Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, from Jan. 7 to 12 three people have been killed by avalanches and another froze to death.

More snow was forecast from Wednesday to Friday in most parts of Tibet, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia with temperatures falling by 6 to 8 degrees Celsius, according to China's Central Meteorological Station (CMS).

The freezing weather has affected millions of people, with hundreds of people reported injured, and at least 8,600 evacuated in northwest China. The snow had also flattened and damaged at least 100,000 homes in Xinjiang.

The direct economic loss was estimated at 550 million yuan (80.5 million U.S. dollars) in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang.

China's east coast had also been badly affected. Much sea water had frozen creating the most severe situation in 30 years in the northern Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea. The State Oceanic Administration had issued a sea ice alert Tuesday to cope with the problem.

The icing has affected aquaculture production and left many fishing boats stranded at ports in the eastern province of Shandong, said the Shandong provincial department of oceanic and fishery.

The frozen sea area would continue to expand in the coming week, local meteorological authorities said.

The meteorological bureau in Tibet issued an alert on severe snowstorms expected from Wednesday night to Thursday in south Ali and Xigaze prefectures.

In Beijing, the cold weather disrupted traffic. Beijing subway passenger flow rose as people went underground to avoid the freezing air.

Extremely cold weather also caused coal and electricity shortages across China.

As of Sunday, 598 major power plants' coal reserves were down to nine days supply. Coal storages in 205 power plants were down to seven days, according to the National Power Dispatch and Communication Center.

The situation worsened for 11 percent of the power plants, which were due to stop production any time as coal reserves were insufficient for three days of power generation.

Cui Zhongjian, general manager of the Qinhuangdao Port Group Co., told Xinhua that the company has sent about a thousand workers to receive and unload thermal coal in shifts around the clock at the country's major coal port.

To boost production to ease coal shortages, the major coal producing province of Shanxi is also reopening some coal mines, which are up to the safety and production standards.

The freezing weather was forecast to ease with temperature rising from Wednesday in most parts of north China as the cold snap moved to affect sea areas off eastern coast, according to the Central Meteorological Station.