Millions in China to greet new year without power

By Chris Buckley

KAILI, China (Reuters) - Millions of Chinese are likely to spend the biggest holiday of the year without power and water after more than a week of wild winter weather that shut down transport links across large parts of the country.

The freezing weather in the run-up to the Lunar New Year break, which begins on Wednesday and offers the only chance for many poor migrant workers to visit loved ones, has killed scores of people.

Railways and highways were returning to normal across China on Tuesday but millions are still trying to catch trains, planes and buses to see family in what is normally one of the greatest annual migrations of humanity. Millions more have given up making the journey home.

In the southwestern province of Yunnan, four teenagers were found dead after going missing in a snowstorm near the Myanmar border, the official Xinhua news agency said. But soldiers found three other members of the same party alive.

Whole cities have had their power and water cut off for more than a week and so far 11 electricians have been killed trying to reconnect lines or break ice encasing poles and cables.

Chenzhou, a city of about 4 million in the central province of Hunan, began its 11th day without power on Tuesday, with people lining up at fire hydrants with buckets to get water.

The State Electricity Regulatory Commission said it intended to restore power to 80 percent of affected households in the next few days. Supply to the rest of the families would be resumed by tapping some 2,670 diesel-fired generating vehicles.

Kaili, with a population of half a million in the subtropical southern province of Guizhou, was cut off for several days by thick ice and hail.

On the road from the provincial capital Guiyang, many areas were still covered in thick ice with pine trees wilting or broken under the weight. Television showed downed powerlines and towers.

Kaili and other larger county capitals are receiving electricity, but officials and locals say many villagers in the countryside remain without power and there could be many days if not weeks before it is restored.

CANDLE LIGHT

"The situation has been improving with all the outside assistance, but fixing supplies to smaller towns and villages will take a long time," said engineer Zhang Xuejiang.

But for many locals, the biggest headache is skyrocketing prices with pork, rice, vegetables and other staples doubling in price, or going even higher.

Army and civilian trucks are bringing in diesel generators and boxes of blankets and food.

"The electricity is back on now, but the problems certainly aren't all over," said a vendor named Xu Song. "Food is so expensive."