Avalanches in China trap 1K tourists in remote skiing village

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Dozens of avalanches in China have trapped more than 1,000 tourists for a week in a remote skiing village, where rescuers performed evacuations on Tuesday, Chinese state media said.

Heavy snow triggered the avalanches in Altay prefecture in the Xinjiang region, close to China’s northwestern border with Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan.

“This avalanche situation is relatively special, we have seen such heavy snowfall before, but we have not seen such high frequency of avalanches,” Zhao Jinsheng, the head of the highway management bureau, told CCTV according to a translation by Reuters.

With up to 22 feet of snow blocking 220 miles of roads, according to state media, food, fuel and other supplies were flown to the trapped tourists and village residents. A military helicopter was able to airlift the injured out of the village.

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Excavators clear a road blocked by snow in Altay Prefecture in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on Tuesday. (CCTV via AP)

One snow-blocked road to the village was cleared on Tuesday, allowing vehicles to leave and enter the village.

Chinese state media said that rescuers are evacuating tourists from a remote skiing area in the country’s northwest where dozens of avalanches triggered by heavy snow have trapped more than 1,000 people for a week. (CCTV via AP)

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Footage showed dozens of tourists dragging luggage over snow-covered areas toward a military helicopter, while a long line of outgoing cars was seen on the cleared road.

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  Tourists are evacuated by a military helicopter from Altay Prefecture in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on Tuesday. (CCTV via AP)

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  Roads were also cleared on Tuesday, allowing tourists to drive vehicles out of the village, according to state media. (CCTV via AP)

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Known as an emerging ski destination, Altay prefecture has been hit by heavy snowfall since early January. China Daily, citing the Xinjiang meteorological bureau, said at least 31 avalanches were reported as of Saturday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.