Updated: 2008-03-07 16:53

Chengdu -- More than 1,000 Tibetan gazelles died in the extreme cold during the mid-January to early March period, an official in China's southwestern Sichuan Province said on Friday.

Liu Ze, deputy head of the Shiqu County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, said the heavy snow that had hit his county on nine occasions, killed 1,028 Tibetan gazelles and left nearly 2,000 humans with frostbite.

He explained the extremely low temperatures and an inadequate grass supply had caused the deaths.

Tibetan gazelles tend to search for food in the morning and evening. Over the past 50 days, most grasslands have been covered by thick snow and ice.

"Our top priority is to protect people and livestocks after the heavy snow," said Liu. He expressed concern that more gazelles could suffer a similar fate if more snow comes.

The local weather station forecast that a fresh snowfall would arrive in the county before Monday.