25 killed in China wintry crash
GUANGZHOU, China (AP) - January 29, 2008 About 500,000 people - most migrant workers - were stuck in the
southern city of Guangzhou, railway officials said. Heavy snowfall
in provinces to the north had cut off parts of the busy railway
line that starts in the city and ends in Beijing.
The crash brought the known death toll in the last two weeks to
about 50. Xinhua News Agency said the bus veered off the road,
plunging some 40 yards into a valley in mountainous Guizhou
province at 7:40 a.m.
The new agency said that in addition to the 25 deaths there were
also 13 people injured, accounting for all 38 aboard. Two
passengers were hospitalized in critical condition, while injuries
to the 11 others were less serious.
The government, scrambling Monday to prevent riots among the
crowds that have swelled daily since the storms began Jan. 10,
offered temporary shelter in schools and convention centers.
Hundreds of police and soldiers were posted around the train
station.
Frustrated in their efforts to return home, migrant travelers
created small camps of suitcases in the mud outside the train
station, scattering chicken bones and cigarette butts.
Li Moming, a construction worker among those stuck in Guangzhou,
wore a mud-splattered pinstriped suit for a homecoming that might
not happen. He spent the night on the street in a cold drizzle. The
train to his village in central Henan province, 20 hours away, was
canceled. He might have to spend the holiday at his work site
instead.
"What can you do?" he said. "It's the weather. It's nobody's
fault. You can't control the weather."
Chinese New Year begins Feb. 7 - when the train station will
start to sell tickets again, radio reports said. State-run
newspapers ran headlines urging the migrants not to travel. But for
many migrants, the New Year - China's most festive holiday - is the
only chance for months to visit their families, and they stay away
for weeks.
One young mother who would give only her surname, Yang, spent
the night on the street in front of the station with her
7-month-old daughter. She said she would probably have to cancel
her holiday visit with her family and return to her small apartment
near her factory.
Many workers were stoic, accustomed to the huge crowds,
discomforts and long delays that are common for China's poor. But
others fought among themselves while trying to board long-delayed
trains during the busiest travel season of the year.
The great effort put into managing the Guangzhou crowd did not
surprise Susan Shirk, whose recent book, "China: Fragile
Superpower," discusses how domestic unrest poses a serious threat
to the communist regime.
"When large numbers of people are upset about the same problem
at the same time, there is a risk of large-scale collective action
that could threaten Communist Party rule," said Shirk. "Will the
travelers blame the weather or the government?"
A new round of blizzards threatened central Chinese provinces
Monday, putting more pressure on already strained transport,
communications and power grids. The weather has already affected 67
million people.
The storms, which have killed 24 people since they began, have
already caused economic losses of $2.5 billion, the Civil Affairs
Ministry said. The storms snapped power lines for trains in
neighboring Hunan province - a midpoint for the busy rail line that
runs from Guangzhou to Beijing.
The government pledged Monday to increase the output of
gasoline, coal and power to ease shortages amid the severe winter
weather, which has forced rationing in some areas, the Xinhua News
Agency said.
The announcement came as coal prices hit a record high Monday
and heavy snows blocked deliveries to power plants. The government
was already struggling to ease shortages of pork, grain and other
food items that have set off a sharp rise in inflation.
On Friday, the Cabinet ordered local authorities to ensure
adequate food supplies to keep prices stable ahead of the New Year.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)