Several Chinese cities had a brutally cold morning on Tuesday as temperatures plummeted amid snow and sleet storms.

Wuhan, in the central province of Hubei, shivered as temperatures fell by 19 degrees centigrade within 48 hours. Near Wuhan, the death toll from a coach accident caused by the weather has risen. As of Monday night, eight people were known to have died in the incident, the latest being a severely injured man who died en route to the hospital.

The coach overturned on an icy road near the city, injuring 20 people.

In Qingdao, in the eastern province of Shandong, snow forced several expressways to close temporarily. More than 160 people were sent to de-ice the roads.

In tropical Hainan Province, which lies off China's southern coast, a new cold front led to a temperature plunge after a 26-day rainy spell. Hainan Provincial Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow-level fog and rain warning to remind local drivers of harsh road conditions.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2008)