Stranded passengers caught in a massive crush in the waiting hall of a train station in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Monday after trains were delayed owing to poor weather conditions.

Heavy snow and ice in north and central China put a freeze on the travel plans of thousands of Chinese migrant workers, who are heading home ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday next week.

The 40-day travel rush every Chinese New Year has often been described as the greatest annual human migration on earth. An estimated 2.91 billion rail journeys are expected to be made this season.