Thousands of vehicles stuck on roads in China amid heavy snow

Vehicles were stranded on snow-covered roads in central China (Chinatopix via AP)

Thousands of motorists have been left stuck on roads in central China as heavy snow disrupted travel during the annual Lunar New Year rush.

Aerial images showed long queues of traffic in the province of Hubei on Monday night.

About 4,000 vehicles were stuck because of icy conditions, a provincial official told state broadcaster CCTV.

The heavy snow, unusual for central China, was forecast to continue into Wednesday.

Widespread snowfall and freezing weather has continued in central and eastern China (Chinatopix via AP)

Millions of people are heading home for the Lunar New Year, which falls on Saturday. Families traditionally gather for dinner the night before.

The airport in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, temporarily closed runways several times because of the icy conditions. Some flights and trains were cancelled, stranding travellers for hours.

One person was killed and 13 others injured in the neighbouring province of Hunan on Monday after a roof collapsed at a produce fair following heavy snowfall, the official Xinhua News Agency said.