Two men push a car in snow in Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan province. [Photo.hnr.cn]

Group charges money to help stuck drivers

When a city is blanketed in snow, it becomes hard for vehicles to negotiate the slippery roads.

A group of "helpers" showed up at Jiefang Road in downtown Zhengzhou on Wednesday night, offering to give a push to cars that had got stuck in the snowy ground.

It would have been a welcome help except that the helpers were charging 50 yuan ($8 dollars) to 100 yuan ($16 dollars) to help the stuck drivers. The photos went viral on Sina weibo, Chinese micro-blogging platform, with thousands joining the discussion.

Some said the drivers were blatantly robbed as they had no other option under the extreme weather, while others said there was nothing to criticize as the "helpers were earning money by doing physical work".

In our next story we reveal how a man and son got heatstroke in chilly winter.