Society

Snowstorm cuts road traffic in Xinjiang

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-23 17:04

URUMQI: An overnight snowstorm has completely cut road traffic to a city and county in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the local meteorological authorities said on Tuesday.

The meteorological department of Wusu city said the accumulated snow reached 55 cm in urban area as of 11 am Tuesday, the heaviest daily fall in 57 years.

The Wusu city government has mobilized grassroots cadres to visit door to door in the rural area to investigate casualties.

The meteorological authority in Shawan county said snow started to hit the county at around 8 pm Monday, and as of 8 am Tuesday, the county recorded precipitation of 19 cm and snowfall of 21.5 cm, with the accumulated snow being 50 cm. The meteorological staff said the storm will continue on Tuesday.

Tacheng prefecture, which administers Wusu city and Shawan county, has been frequently hit by snow storms in winter. The prefecture also faces possible flooding from thawing snow as temperature rises in spring.

Peng Jiarui, secretary of the prefectural committee of the Communist Party of China, has urged local government departments to mobilize people to help farmers and herdsmen to clear accumulated snow near their residences and ordered evacuation of people living in areas vulnerable to possible flooding at an early date.

Authorities in Altay prefecture in north of Xinjiang, also affected by heavy snow in winter, have prepared flood-relief goods and are monitoring reservoirs around-the-clock to prevent flooding.