HAIKOU, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The emergency response has ended as ferry services on the Qiongzhou Strait in south China's Hainan Province returned to normal Monday, according to local authorities.

Rare heavy fog that started on Feb. 18 had triggered multiple suspensions of ferry services, stranding over 20,000 vehicles lined up to 20 kilometers with nearly 100,000 passengers at peak times, the provincial government said.

As of Sunday night, nearly 140,000 vehicles and 720,000 passengers had been sent for Guangdong Province via the strait since the emergency response was triggered seven days ago.

The city government of Haikou, the provincial capital, dispatched over 58,000 employees from various departments to maintain traffic, distribute food and clean highways in its three ports 24 hours a day.

Hainan, known for its tropical climate and clean air, is a popular destination for Chinese tourists in winter. According to the local government, about 90,000 vehicles containing over 400,000 tourists had arrived on the island during this year's Spring Festival holiday lasting from Feb. 15 to Feb. 21.