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Dozens disappear in north China blizzards

Asian Economic News, Jan 15, 2001

BEIJING, Jan. 8 Kyodo

Dozens of people have disappeared and thousands are starving as severe snowstorms sweep northern China, severing transportation and communication links in the region of Inner Mongolia, state media reported Monday.

Fierce blizzards kicked up Gobi Desert sand before blasting Xilingol County in the region's center with ''yellow snow'' from New Year's Day through Sunday, leaving drifts of up to 1 meter deep, a local journalist told Kyodo News.

''This year is much more serious than last,'' she said in a telephone interview from the county capital, where communication links survived the storms.

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However, outside the city at least 25 people remain missing after more than a week of heavy snows, the official China Daily said.

Local authorities dispatched emergency teams to find and aid those in extreme danger. They estimate it will cost 70 million yuan (about US$8.4 million) to deal with problems caused by the storms, the paper said.

The blizzards have also endangered the region's 10 million livestock, leaving them in need of 60 million kilograms of food, the paper said. The livestock industry accounts for more than half the area's economy.

Beijing has also been hit by heavy snows, which caused more than 3,000 accidents in the Chinese capital over the weekend, local media said.

The tally includes everything from slips resulting in broken bones to car crashes. The city's ''122'' emergency hot line received 10 times the usual number of calls, and local hospitals were ''flooded'' with accident victims, the China Daily said.

The city has fought back by pouring more than 20,000 cubic meters of anti-slip chemicals onto roads, the paper said.

However, several major highways remain closed and 80% of flights into and out of Capital Airport have been delayed because of the inclement weather, it said.

Dozens disappear in north China blizzards

Asian Economic News, Jan 15, 2001

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