Beijing still suffering low temperatures

Beijing is still suffering low temperatures and icy conditions after heavy snow struck northern China Sunday. Daytime temperatures barely rise above -7 degrees Celsius and at night it can be as cold as -20 Celsius. Central Beijing is starting to recover a little with buses and taxis returning to the roads.

 
An army of volunteers have swept most of the snow from the streets and apart from the back streets most routes are now clear. Nonetheless slippery conditions remain and many pedestrians have been injured after falling on the ice. Zhang Yuqing, head nurse of the emergency room in Jishuitan Hospital, told Xinhua news agency that there had been dozens of reported injuries. "We had 70 patients with bone injuries as a result of the snow on Sunday morning. Most are middle aged and the elderly," she said. The majority of patients had hurt their arms and legs, and four cases needed operations.

Around 720  people fell on icy roads with 160 of them breaking their bones according to statistics released by the Beijing health bureau yesterday on Monday. Meanwhile the Beijing emergency medical center said it received 1,200 calls on Sunday. [pictured above: a lone man walks through the snow at Juyongguan. This picture should have been posted yesterday. Apologies for the error]

tvnewswatch, Beijing, China