The fog caused flights to be cancelled and closed down expressways in east and central China on Saturday, delaying the return of thousands of people at the end of the week-long break, Xinhua news agency said.

The problems continued Sunday, when fog reduced visibility to 200 metres (yards) in some parts of China, including regions in densely populated Sichuan province in the southwest, according to Xinhua.

Snow was forecast for the coming three days in the Inner Mongolia region and other parts of the north, while showers were predicted along the Yangtze river, the agency reported.

The inclement weather coincided with a travel peak, as huge numbers of Chinese took trains and buses back from traditional Lunar New Year family reunions, Xinhua said.

It is a reminder of the situation during the 2008 Lunar New Year, when parts of China were paralysed by the worst blizzards in decades, killing dozens and pushing the transportation network to near collapse.

China's railways transported 4.83 million passengers on Friday, up by nearly 600,000 from the day before, Xinhua said.

The government is expecting a record 188 million people to travel by train and another 24 million to fly over the 40 days before and after the New Year, in what is regarded as the biggest annual movement of people in the world.

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