A highway is covered by heavy snow in Sichuan, southwest China.

More than 800 vehicles over a length of 10 km were stranded on ice-coated Guiyang-Xinzhai Expressway Wednesday morning, according to the traffic police.

Snow and sleet has struck five provincial level localities, including Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing, Guizhou and Yunnan since Monday.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs Wednesday distributed 10,000 cotton-patted quilts and 10,000 cotton-patted coats to Yunnan province.

Two sections along the expressway in Yunnan Province were cut off traffic, and traffic along expressways in Guizhou and Hunan provinces were also slowed down due to slippery roads as of 18:00 p.m. Beijing time, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The Ministry of Public Security Wednesday held a tele-conference, urging police in the hard-hit areas to go all out to prevent major traffic accidents and long-time traffic clog.