Location of villages in Tibet isolated for 7 days.

Date / time: 15/02/2012 09:16:31 [UTC]
Event: Snow Storm
Area: Asia
Country: China
State/County: Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR)
Location: [Prefecture of Xigaze]

Description:

Rescue workers have reached four remote villages in Tibet after a blizzard prevented the villages from communicating with the outside world for seven days, local officials said Wednesday. All of the four villages' 793 have been accounted for, with no reports of missing persons, officials from the Xigaze prefecture government said. Rescuers were able to reach the isolated villages after clearing deep snow from a section of the China-Nepal highway on Tuesday, officials said. Freezing weather, wind and rough mountain terrain slowed the snow removal process, with rescuers spending seven days clearing a 33-km section of the highway. A blizzard hit 12 counties in Xigaze from Feb. 7 to 9, blocking roads and cutting off power, water and communication for the region's residents. Disaster relief teams were swiftly mobilized, and the local government has allocated more than 25 million yuan (4 million U.S. dollars) to fund the relief efforts, local officials said. Food, clothing, blankets, shoes and food have already arrived in blizzard-hit areas, the officials said.