China: Tourists stranded by avalanches in Xinjiang airlifted to safety

Some tourists who had been stranded for several days after avalanches hit highways leading to a winter tourism area in China's Xinjiang region were lifted by a helicopter to safety, local media reported on Sunday (Jan 14). According to reports, days of heavy snow in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region triggered dozens of avalanches on large sections of highways in the Altay mountains leading to the Kanas scenic area.

A report by CCTV said that around six kilometres of highways were buried. A report by the Xinhua news agency said that snow and avalanches had blocked many roads leading to Kanas, Hemu, Baihaba and other scenic spots in Burqin County.

In a notice, the Kanas scenic area management committee saidthat stranded tourists would be given accommodation free of charge. On Monday, the committee said that it had closed the area until Saturday (Jan 20) due to the recent extreme weather to ensure the personal safety of tourists.

Over the weekend, the crew of an army aviation brigade in Xinjiang loaded fuel, generators, rice, flour, oil, and other materials onto a helicopter and went to Kanas. Upon reaching the area, the crew quickly unloaded the supplies.

At the same time, some of the people trapped boarded the helicopter and were transferred from the Kanas Visitor Centre to Kanas Airport.

However, after completing this mission, the weather changed abruptly leading to a suspension in additional rescue efforts.

(With inputs from agencies)