Around 1,000 tourists are stranded in a remote village in China after avalanches hit the region. This is reported by Reuters.
According to the news agency, the road to the village of Hema, a picturesque place near the borders of Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia, where tourists are stuck, has been cut off by avalanches for several days. The village is located in the Altai Prefecture, where continuous snowfall in some areas has lasted for 10 days.
Heavy snowfall caused dozens of avalanches on major highways. Some tourists were evacuated by helicopters.
As reported, snow brought by avalanches reaches seven meters in some places. Work on clearing the 50-kilometer section of the covered road began a week ago.
The rescue operation is hindered by stones mixed with snow and branches broken by avalanches.
“We have seen such heavy snowfall before, but we have not seen such a high frequency of avalanches,” said Zhao Jinsheng, head of the highway management bureau.