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Blizzards wreak havoc
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OFFICIALS are calling for help after severe snowstorms blanketed China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region during the Spring Festival holiday affecting 2.3 million people, and there is no end in sight.
The blizzards have killed 285,000 head of cattle in 31 banners and counties, and ruined 24 million hectares of grassland. About 10 million cattle face starvation and are threatened by the freezing temperatures.
There have been no reports so far of human casualties, but many villagers have no access to water or food.
In some regions, snow accumulation has reached as high as 50-100cm, and the temperature has dropped to minus 41.8 degrees centigrade.
Rescue efforts have ground to a near halt as roads and highways have become blocked by snow, making the delivery of relief supplies impossible in many areas.
At present, local people and rescue teams are working to clear the roads, but progress is slow due to a lack of emergency rescue vehicles.
Yu Tiefu, the leader of the region's Livestock Farming Department, said the grass stock was lower than usual as a result of sustained droughts last year, which have also left livestock weakened and unable to bear the harsh conditions. He predicted the disaster will not ease for at least two to three months.
Blizzards have also blanketed parts of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region since late October.
Xinhua said two herdsmen have been reported dead and more than 60 injured in Xinjiang.
More than 20 ahus, a rare antelope species, have starved or frozen to death in Altay, a prefecture that is home to more than 400 species of wild animals.
About 30 percent of the region's gazelles will die if the situation continues, experts say. (Alfred Zhang)
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