Heavy fog blanketed many parts of central and eastern China on Wednesday and resulted in the closure of highways and disrupted flights.

The visibility in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, was down to 50 meters at 9 AM, according to the Wuhan Observatory.

All the highways in Wuhan were closed on Wednesday morning, said local traffic authorities. The Tianhe International Airport was also shut with no planes taking off or landing. The fog disrupted public transport.

"I haven't seen such heavy fog for years. I couldn't see the skyscrapers across the street," said a Wuhan citizen named Cheng.

The heavy fog also hit eastern and western areas of Hubei, the southern part of east China's Anhui Province, the central region of Hunan Province and the northwestern part of Jiangxi Province.

The fog is expected to lift this afternoon, said the observatory.

(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2007)