More than 1,000 tourists were stranded at the new Altai ski resort, on China’s border with Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan. The reason for this was dozens of avalanches, which almost completely blocked the roads – so that food delivery to tourists and evacuation of the injured had to be done by air on Tuesday.
According to Chinese media, it happened in China’s Altai Prefecture in the Xinjiang region, not far from the border. The village of Hemu, where the ski resort is located, is completely cut off from the world. The media, citing the local administration of highways, said that avalanches affected 350 kilometers of roads. As of Saturday, at least 31 avalanches were recorded.
The road clearing work was complicated by the geographical location of the area, as the roads leading to Hem are located in a valley with tree-covered slopes. As a result, the injured were airlifted by military helicopter, and supplies such as food and fuel were flown in by plane. Special equipment was able to reach the resort only in the evening.
As a result, the weather NP, judging by everything, will interrupt his work. Authorities in Kanas district, where the village of Hemu is located, said the area will be closed to tourists until at least January 20 due to extreme weather conditions.