Traffic still partly blocked in snow-crippled Tibet

Lhasa （CNS） – The Xigaze area of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region is still digging out from under heavy snows and while traffic has resumed in some areas, elsewhere valiant efforts are still underway to return the region to normal, reported official sources in Tibet, February 12.

According to its Civil Affairs Department, as of February 12, 68,479 people in 14,710 households in the Xigaze area were afflicted, with three deaths linked directly to the weather disaster and 67 people injured or sick. Some 20,903 livestock have been lost, while 113 houses have collapsed and 153 are severely damaged, leaving 423 moderately or slightly damaged.

At press time, the local government still had no way to contact 793 people from the three counties of Gyirong County, Xaitongmoin and Ngamring.

On section G318 of the road between Nyalam County and Zhangmu Township, which lies on the border of China and Nepal and intersects with two other road sections, the traffic is still at a standstill as road maintenance proceeds.

On February 7 a severe blizzard hit the Xigaze area, and drifts over one meter in height soon blocked the highways. The local government immediately launched an emergency response plan, which by February 12 had expended 35 million yuan on disaster relief measures.

On February 12, the Ministry of Civil Affairs dispatched 1,000 cotton tents to temporarily shelter people caught away from their homes during the storm.