People had a nightmare start to the Lunar New festival, which gets underway later in February. They were unable to board trains because of inclement weather, leading to massive queues developing outside Guangzhou railway station.
Some people were standing for more than 10 hours in the pouring rain, as 32 trains were delayed.
Part of the problem was caused by some of the passengers being a little overzealous to get to the station with plenty of time to spare. The railway authorities reported that some travelers had arrived at the terminal two days before they were due to depart.
More than 2,600 security personnel were drafted in to try and keep order in the station's vicinity. Meanwhile, subway and ferry services stopped bringing more passengers to the railway station to try and control the crowds.
Earth's biggest voluntarily exodus is about the begin. Last night Guangzhou train station. #CNY16 #SpringFestival pic.twitter.com/siaL8rYeaq
โ Burak Ercakir (@laowaidiary) February 2, 2016
"We are turning down passengers who want to go to the train station because we're not allowed to approach the area anymore," said one taxi driver, as cited by the South China Morning Post.
Scenes at Guangzhou train station yesterday remind many of 2008 10ไธไบบๆป็ๅนฟๅท็ซ่ฝฆ็ซๅ ชๆฏ2008ๅนด้ช็พ๏ผๅฎๆน่พ่ฐฃ. https://t.co/ZqC1mEuQAy pic.twitter.com/lkZASzQlnO
โ CLB (@chinalabour) February 2, 2016
Safety was paramount due to the vast volume of people in the vicinity and memories of a deadly stampede that took place in Shanghai on December 31, 2014, in which 36 people were killed and 47 injured.
1/2 Enormous crowds at Guangzhou station and elsewhere, returning home for lunar new year. https://t.co/lwChIQLGgd pic.twitter.com/z4vk5OowFu
โ Clayton Dube ๆๅ ้ท (@claydube) February 2, 2016
Every year, millions of Chinese migrant workers head from the urban centers to their family homes to take part in the Lunar New Year, which is celebrated on February 8.
This year, the annual migration started on January 24 and will last until March 3. China's National Development and Reform Commission expect passenger volumes to reach more than 2.91 billion people, Reuters reports.
Comment: See also: Snow causes chaos in China as millions head home for Lunar New Year