Blizzard-struck Xinjiang suffers 10-mln yuan loss

Urumqi (CNS) – The disastrous blizzard that struck the Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County of Xinjiang affected 1,128 people within 443 households and killed almost 30,000 farm animals, burdening the region's economy with a loss of 10 million yuan, according to county estimates.

Extreme weather plagued the county from February 3 to 6, along with a steady decline in temperature. The depth of snow cover in the mountain area reached 50 cm. The heavy, fluffy mantle combined with lower temperatures may be the double whammy that spurs avalanches and other natural disasters, warned the county communication office.

On the morning of February 5, three emergency rescue teams hastened to the afflicted area to transfer herdsmen and their livestock. As of press time, the transfer was successful.