Dozens of avalanches in China trapped more than 1,000 tourists in a remote ski village for a week, before rescuers evacuated them on Tuesday, state media said.
Heavy snow triggered an avalanche in Altai County, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, near the borders with Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan in northwestern China.
“The situation of this avalanche is relatively special, we have never seen snow this heavy before, but we have never experienced avalanches this often,” Zhao Jinsheng, director of the Road Management Bureau, told CCTV, according to a Reuters interpreter. This is the first time this has happened.”
Up to 22 feet of snow cut off 350 miles of roads, and food, fuel and other supplies were airlifted to stranded tourists and villagers, state media said. Military helicopters were able to airlift the injured from the village.
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An excavator clears a road blocked by snow in Altai County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, on Tuesday. (CCTV via AP)
On Tuesday, roads to the village that had been blocked by snow were cleared, allowing vehicles to enter and exit.
Rescuers are evacuating tourists from a remote ski resort in the northwest of the country where dozens of avalanches caused by heavy snow have trapped more than 1,000 people for a week, state media said. (CCTV via AP)
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Footage showed dozens of tourists dragging their luggage through snow-covered areas towards military helicopters, and long lines of cars leaving on cleared roads.
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Altai Prefecture, known as an emerging ski destination, has been experiencing heavy snowfall since early January. At least 31 avalanches were reported as of Saturday, China Daily reported, citing information from the Xinjiang Meteorological Administration.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
