A heavy fog that has affected most parts of Tianjin since
Wednesday forced the closure of many expressways that link the
northern China municipality with neighboring provinces, city
authorities said on Thursday.
Wednesday's mist worsened into a heavy fog overnight and reduced
visibility to 20 meters, the municipal meteorological observatory
said.
For safety reasons, the local road transport administration
closed at least three trunk expressways linking Tianjin with
Beijing and several major cities in the northern provinces of Hebei
and Henan.
Traffic jams clogged downtown streets and rural roads for about
four hours in the morning, causing a series of car pile-ups. No
casualties have been reported so far.
According to observatory experts, the fog was caused by a
combination of high humidity and lower temperatures. They predicted
the fog would ease on Thursday afternoon.
(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2007)