Yesterday's heavy fog ruined last-minute holiday travel plans for thousands of travelers trying to get home for Spring Festival celebrations. 

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The fog affected almost all of Central China including Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi provinces, shutting down roads, airports and river traffic.

Fog conditions reduced visibility to less than 100 meters from Wuhan to Xianning in Hubei Province, forcing the temporary closure of Wuhan's Tianhe Airport and the cancellation or delay of 90 flights. 

Officials in nearby Huangshi City said fog caused the temporary closing of all roads and ferry services.  219 flights were cancelled across the regions, including flights in or out of Hunan's Changsha Huanghua International Airport and Jiangxi's Changbei International Airport.

Heavy fog conditions also led to a number of deadly highway accidents. Three people died in an 11-car pile up on the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway after a number of drivers, despite warnings from highway officials, decided on taking the expressway amid heavy fog conditions. 15 people were also injured in the accident.

Officials in the southwest Chinese city of Chongqing also reported that fog conditions resulted in a 14-car accident injuring more than 10 people, five of them seriously. 

Fog conditions, officials said,  also hampered rescue efforts forcing many of the injured to ask if other drivers on the way home for Spring Festival could first take them to the hospital.