4 injured, 200 vehicles stranded by Xinjiang avalanche

Four people were injured and more than 200 vehicles stranded on a national highway after an avalanche occurred in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Monday afternoon, local authorities said.

The avalanche occurred at 2:52 p.m. on a section of the No. 314 National Highway in Akto county in west Xinjiang's Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture of Kizilsu, which borders Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, according to local police.

The avalanche, which also buried a construction site, was caused by a recent temperature increase, local police said.

Police and local residents have teamed up to clear the snow blocking the highway.

Northern Xinjiang was battered by a snowstorm on Monday afternoon, leading to the closure of a section of the 201 Provincial Road in Tacheng Prefecture.