Heavy fog blanketed many parts of central and eastern China on Wednesday, forcing closure of highways and disrupting flights.

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

All the highways in Wuhan were closed on Wednesday morning, according to the local traffic authorities. The Tianhe International Airport was also closed with no planes taking off or landing.

The fog has also 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 the eastern and western parts of Hubei, the southern part of east China's Anhui Province, the central part of Hunan Province and the northwestern part of Jiangxi Province.

The fog is expected to dissipate this afternoon, according to the observatory.

(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2007)