The strongest March snowstorm to hit Liaoning Province in 56 years cut the power and water supply in many parts of the port city of Dalian on Sunday night, local power supply authorities said.

"Restore work is expected to begin on Monday afternoon when the strong winds should weaken to below force seven," said Ma Yong'an, the spokesman of Dalian Supply Company.

"But we are not entirely sure when the work can be done," he added.

A gust measured at force 11 caused the blackout of 11 of the 25 220-kv power supply stations in the city at 10:00 PM on Sunday, said Zhao Weijun, deputy chief engineer of the company.

Power supply to the suburban Lushunkou District, Jinzhou District, Wafangdian City, and parts of the eastern and western urban areas, was cut off. The power failure, in turn, caused the water and gas supply in the urban areas to also be disrupted, said Zhao.

A total of 204 ships anchored at Dalian port have been prohibited from leaving, said Ma Zhenhua, a staff member in the city's emergency management office. In addition, most of the flights at the Dalian Zhoushuizi international airport had been cancelled as of Sunday.

Since Saturday night, rain and snow have fallen continually in most parts of Liaoning Province, with reported precipitations of 56 millimeters in Dalian, 36 mm in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning, and 68 mm in Dandong, according to the Shenyang Meteorological Observatory.

Strong winds amid heavy snow have left at least one person dead and seven injured after the roof of a farm produce market collapsed, local sources said.

Most vehicles in Shenyang are forbidden to be on the roads on Monday, except those for public use, to ensure the smooth cleanup and transportation of snow, which has caused major traffic troubles.

The central meteorological observatory forecast that snow and rainfall would continue to hit most parts of north China in the next two days, disrupting air and highway travel in these areas.

(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2007)