Blizzards wreak havoc in Urumqi

Icy winds and snow strand around 150 drivers at entrance of highway

A paralyzing blizzard hit Urumqi over the weekend, causing traffic pile-ups and road closures throughout the northwestern city. 

Around 150 drivers were stranded in icy winds for more than 12 hours on Saturday at the entrance of the highway from the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to the northern city of Kuitun.

Akbar Abdu, a truck driver, said he was too cold to speak when he finally saw rescuers early on Sunday morning. 

"I stayed in the truck from Saturday noon till 3 am the next day. 

"I had to stop because the snow made visibility difficult, and as the temperature dropped I had no choice but to wait for help."

Guo Baojun, a 40-year-old driver, said his "whole body was numb" when rescuers came. 

"It's scary to drive on snow-covered roads when gales blow. The snow buried car wheels quickly. It was -31 C in the evening, fatally cold."

Shu Haiqiang, a rescuer from the Urumqi firefighting corps of Xinjiang police authorities, said: "The heavy snow and powerful winds made driving perilous. 

"On Saturday afternoon, the highway was blocked with about 40 vehicles. Till midnight, more than 130 vehicles were trapped there.

"We asked drivers to come to our car, and we prepared coats and hot water for them." 

The 150 drivers at the highway entrance were finally moved to safety, while their vehicles remained where they were, waiting for the snow to be cleared, Shu said.

Meanwhile, in the city's southern suburbs about 200 people were left stranded in the blizzard. 

On Sunday morning, the local government sent 50 rescuers out into the storm to pick up stranded drivers and passengers, and dig out vehicles from 1-meter-high snowdrifts in places. 

In Altay prefecture, in northern Xinjiang, there were record snowfalls last week, according to its local meteorological department.

Qiu Xingxing, the owner of a hostel in Hemu in Kanas scenic spot of Altay, said: "The snow in the mountains reached 1.5 meters deep. I traveled to Hemu village and spent six hours driving, while it usually takes four hours.

"We are used to heavy snow and low temperatures in Altay. But this winter is colder than before, and fewer tourists are coming."

Meanwhile, the cold front has also been affecting Turpan, a tourist city 230 km from Urumqi, normally famous for its scorching temperatures in summer.