Cold, blizzard kills 4 in northwest China

Rescue workers evacuated thousands of rural
residents from parts of northwestern China after extreme cold and
blizzard conditions killed four people and left half a million
snowed under, meteorologists said Monday.
In neighboring Mongolia, an official appealed for help from the
international community as his country battles the most severe
winter it has seen in three decades.
Storms in China’s far western Xinjiang flattened or damaged
about 100,000 homes and more than 15,000 head of livestock were
killed by the cold front that set in Sunday night.
Herders moved thousands of others to safer pastures at lower
altitudes ahead of the latest storm front, which is expected to
last through Wednesday.
Temperatures in parts of Xinjiang are set to plunge to minus 45
degrees (minus 43 Celsius) by midweek, according to Xinjiang
Meteorological Station forecaster Wei Rongqing.
Wei said snow was falling in the region’s Altay district, where
accumulations had already risen to 3 feet (94 centimeters). Altay
lies in China’s extreme northwestern corner, 1,600 miles (2,600
kilometers) northwest of Beijing, the capital.
“Livestock raising has been hit hard. Both wild animals and
livestock haven’t been able to find food, but now forage has been
allocated by the central government,” Wei said. Some 500,000
people in total were affected by the harsh weather, he said. The
figure includes those who suffered property damage and supply
shortages or were isolated by snow drifts and icy roads.
Direct economic losses were being estimated at 300 million yuan
($44 million) as of Thursday and were expected to continue rising,
Wei said.
“We’re taking emergency measures, including evacuating remote
areas,” Wei said. Calls to Xinjiang government spokesmen rang
unanswered.
Parts of northern China are seeing their harshest winter in
decades, with Beijing this month receiving its heaviest one-day
snowfall in 59 years. Temperatures in the capital were set to rise
above freezing this week.
Also Monday, Mongolia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Zandanshatar Gombojav said most rural provinces in the poor,
landlocked country sandwiched between China and Russia were covered
by up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of snow. He said nearly 800,000
animals had been lost while many transport routes were blocked by
heavy snow.
“Though the government and the population at large are doing
their best, the severity and the duration of such extreme weather
could overwhelm our capacity and resources,” Zandanshatar said at
a press conference.
Mongolia needs emergency supplies including warm clothing,
generators, heating devices and first-aid kits, Zandanshatar said.
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Associated Press writer Ganbat Namjilsangarav contributed to
this report from Ulan Bator.