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CHAN:Large parts of China remain covered in heavy snow and more is forecast in the next few days. Transportation and power supplies are under strain as millions are preparing for the Lunar New Year Festival. STORY:Heavy snows lasting for two weeks have paralyzed large parts of China. Coal and power supplies have been sapped by the heavy snowfall, which has slowed transportation and damaged power lines. The government has issued warnings to travelers and power plants to brace themselves for further disruption.Transport services are especially threatened across the country as tens of millions of people are returning home for New Years beginning February the 7th.In northern China's Shaanxi province, a new round of blizzards forced the closure of most highways across the province. The low temperatures increased energy consumptionand most of the power plants across the affected regions are overloaded. Icy roads claimed the lives of 11 people who were killed when an overloaded bus overturned in Anhui and more were killed when houses collapsed under the weight of the snow.