Avalanches again block roads near tourism spot in China’s Xinjiang region

Heavy snow triggers 13 avalanches on highways, with some roads still closed and more snowstorms expected this week

Residents and more than 1,000 tourists were stranded in a village last month after avalanches cut off a road leading to the area

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Heavy snow since Sunday has caused avalanches on roads leading to the Kanas scenic area in Xinjiang. Photo: CCTV

Published: 7:00pm, 13 Feb 2024

Avalanches have again blocked roads leading to a remote tourism spot in China’s far west Xinjiang region, with the area on alert for more snowstorms this week.

One-way traffic has been restored on some roads but others remain closed after heavy snow that began on Sunday triggered avalanches near the Kanas scenic area in the Altay mountains, traffic police said on Monday evening.

There were 13 avalanches on highways in the area on Sunday and Monday, according to its management committee. The scenic area is in the northern prefecture of Altay, which borders Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia.

More heavy snowfall is expected in the next few days. Photo: Handout

The committee said the deepest avalanche was 5 metres, while the widest spanned 1km. There had been no reports of injuries or vehicle damage.

It said updates on the weather and road conditions would be posted to the social media accounts of the committee and traffic police.

“Snow is still falling in the Kanas scenic area and the risk of avalanches along the roads is extremely high,” the committee’s statement said. “Traffic police will continue to implement traffic control on all road sections in the area.”

It warned that the extreme weather would persist in the scenic area until early next week, with another 35cm to 45cm of snow expected to fall between Wednesday and Friday, followed by strong winds.

Temperatures are expected to drop to around minus 40 degrees Celsius from Thursday to Sunday.