All affected airports reopen after snow disaster

GUIYANG, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- An airport in the southwestern province of Guizhou resumed operation on Friday, marking the normalization of China's entire airport services after disruption by snowstorms.

Liping airport in Guizhou reopened at noon after ice thawed from runways and other weather conditions recovered, according to the airport administration.

Another small airport in Tongren reopened on Wednesday noon.

The two feeder airports were closed on Tuesday because of thick layer of ice and frozen snow in the flying zones.

All other snow-affected airports and most of the highways in other parts of the country had reopened over the past days when the severe weather eased.

The snow havoc had affected more than 100 million people, and killed at least 80 others.

The freezing weather also disrupted transport and power services across a large swathe of the country's southern, central and eastern regions.

Direct economic losses hit 80 billion yuan (11 billion U.S. dollars), and Chinese insurance companies have paid 917 million yuan (128 million U.S. dollars) to meet claims from snow-stricken victims by Wednesday.

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Amid the roar of firecrackers, the month-long weather crisis cleared just in time for Thursday's start of the Spring Festival, the most important holiday for China's 1.3 billion people.

State leaders, the army and the public made a uniform show of teamwork and determination, praying for a peaceful and harmonious Year of the Rat.