GUANGZHOU (China), Feb 2: China warned on Saturday the worst was not over in its national weather crisis as desperate holiday travellers jammed transport hubs and others endured bitter winter storms without power or water.

Bracing for still more foul weather and an accelerating travel rush, China has doubled the number of troops and paramilitary forces aiding winter storm relief efforts to more than a million, state media reported.

The worst winter in decades has caused massive transport bottlenecks and power outages across wide areas in the lead-up to next week’s Lunar New Year, China’s biggest annual holiday.

The China Meteorological Administration said some of the worst-affected central, eastern and southern provinces faced several more days of snow and freezing rain from a cold front parked over the region since early January.

“The most difficult period is still not over yet. The situation remains grim,” Premier Wen Jiabao said during a Cabinet meeting, the China Daily reported.Travellers stranded for days have begun to flow out of airports, train stations and bus depots following near-complete gridlock earlier in the week.

But hundreds of thousands, if not millions, continue to endure agonising delays as the country entered the peak holiday travel stretch from Saturday to Wednesday.—AFP