(2 Dec 2004) SHOTLIST
1. Exterior of Beijing Airport
2. Airport control tower shrouded in fog
3. Close up control tower in fog
4. Passengers luggage outside the departure hall
5. Crowded departure hall of airport
6. Various flight schedule board showing flights being delayed or cancelled
7. Passengers waiting
8. Woman falling into sleep on a cart with her luggage
9. Passengers sitting on carts waiting
10. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Miss Yang, Passenger:
"It has a big impact on my work. We actually wanted to fly back on the same day but we might not come back today with the current situation. We might have to come back tomorrow."
11. Various airport service desk personnel and passengers discuss delays
12. Wide shot international departure area
13. Foreign passengers waiting
14. SOUNDBITE (English) David Schild, British Passenger:
"It will be a problem if it delays me because I have a connecting flight to make from Hong Kong to Melbourne."
15. Various shots fog-bound airport with planes parking and moving
STORYLINE
Heavy fog began to cover Beijing from Tuesday night and still shrouded the capital city on Thursday.
In some areas, the visibility was reduced to less than 100 metres (yards).
It was reported that over 120 flights from the Beijing international airport were affected.
Several expressways in and out Beijing were closed.
According to China Central Television (CCTV), several thousands of passengers were stuck in the Beijing Capital Airport and about 20 flights from Beijing to Shenzhen and other cities were cancelled on Thursday.
CCTV also reported that a greater part of China have been shrouded in mist from Wednesday.
The heavy fog is looming over most of northern China, the southwestern region, the northeastern province of Liaoning and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, according to China Central Meteorological Station (CMS).
In some areas of north, central and east China, the visibility is only 100 to 200 metres (yards) with the air quality rapidly deteriorating, said a CMS official.
A mass of fog with an area of about 217-thousand square kilometres (84-thousand square miles) covered up Beijing and Tianjin municipalities, parts of east China's Shandong Province and north China's Hebei Province on Tuesday evening.
The meteorological official explained the unusual heavy fog resulted from humid and warm air currents from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau over the past few days.
The foggy weather will continue on Friday when a cold front is expected to arrive, bringing snow, rain and strong winds.
The possible four days of misty weather has made it even harder for the capital city to realise its goal of having 18 days of clear blue sky with good air quality this month.
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