Tourists stranded in avalanches in NW China's Xinjiang reach safety

Hundreds of tourists, trapped by heavy snowstorms and avalanches in mountain villages in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, have been safely evacuated as roads leading out of the villages near the Kanas Scenic Spot in Altay Prefecture were cleared of snow.

Heavy snowfall since January 8 triggered over a dozen avalanches along a 120-kilometer stretch of the G219 national highway.

Last Wednesday, the local road maintenance department dispatched four snowplows and a team of workers to clear the national highway and open roads to villages along the route. With the clearance work completed last Saturday, stranded tourists, escorted by police vehicles, were able to leave the villages and travel safely to Burqin County.

Around 100 tourists stranded in villages on the western side of the Kanas Scenic Spot received complimentary meals and accommodation during their stay.

Jiang Kaiyuan, a stranded tourist, said, "Our group of 17 people started driving up the mountain on January 8. Due to the snowstorm, we were stranded on the mountain on January 9. But starting from January 10, everything was free for us—free meals, free accommodation. We had no problem accessing daily necessities."

The border police stations provided life support services to stranded tourists during their period of isolation. After the roads were cleared, three police vehicles escorted the tourists safely out of the mountain areas.

Simultaneously, maintenance workers have been clearing Provincial Highway 232, which leads to the Kanas Scenic Spot from the eastern side. Approximately 1,000 stranded tourists in the area found accommodation and were supplied with daily necessities.

On Monday at noon, 27 tourists and 80 staff members stranded in the Jiadengyu Area descended safely after a 10-kilometer section of Provincial Road S232 was cleared.

Rescue workers are currently tackling another 22-kilometer stretch of avalanche-hit roads around the Kanas Scenic Spot area.

(Cover image via CFP)