Xinjiang fights heaviest snowstorms in decade

Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has been hit by the heaviest snowstorms in a decade.

More than 260-thousand people in the Tacheng and Altay regions have been affected. Losses have been estimated at 10 million yuan. And more than 5-thousand people have been re-located.

The Tacheng Basin is buried under nine days of snow. The two roads that connect it with the regional capital Urmuqi are closed.

On Provincial Road 318, trucks plow through snow drifts deep enough to bury a grown man, as much as 8 meters in some places.

In Altay city, all outbound buses were suspended. Sanitation workers worked around the clock. As of Saturday, normal traffic was restored. Most stranded passengers resumed their journey.

Farmers have been hit hard. Cold weather is affecting more than 3 million head of cattle. 1-meter long icicles hang on eaves of houses.

Local authorities are sending thousands of quilts, shoes and clothes. Staple goods such as flour and rice are also being distributed.

Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has been hit by the heaviest snowstorms in a decade.