The heavy snow also flattened 799 houses and caused damages to 4,897 others in the region, the ministry said.
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A total of 261,800 people in 12 counties or cities were affected by the blizzard hitting Xinjiang's Tacheng and Altay regions this week, which resulted in blackout and transport disruption in some areas |
The Ministry has allocated 5,000 tents, 10,000 cotton-padded coats and 10,000 cotton-padded quilts to, and the regional government appropriated 15 million yuan (2.2 million U.S. dollars) for disaster relief in the affected areas, the ministry said.
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Representatives of communities stand beside vehicles that provide people with services in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region, Jan. 9, 2010. Some companies and activists in Urumqi donated money to buy 555 vehicles. These vehicles were put into use Saturday in several communities to provide citizens with services. |
Xinjiang was gripped by a cold snap from Jan. 1 to 8, which brought heavy snow and drastic temperature plunge especially in Tacheng and Altay regions.