(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-10-10 20:04

URUMQI -- Twelve people are trapped and two are missing in heavy snowstorms in Wensu County, in China's northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The people, from five herding households in Sawapuqi Pasture, have been out of contact with rescuers who are trying to approach their tents, 30 km from the main dwelling site, for four days.

Meanwhile, more than 2,000 heads of domesticated yak, horse and sheep are trapped in the area by the snow.

"This is the heaviest snowstorm in this area for ten years," a local official said.

The snow, which began to fall on October 5 along with strong winds, is 50 cm deep on average, with the deepest reaching 1.8 meters in pasture lands, 1,000 km northeast of Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang.

The local government has sent rescuers to the area to search for the missing people. But the rescue work is slow since the 12-km long road to the site was cut off by the snow.