Extreme cold and heavy snow continue to plague northern and western China. Herders and their livestock are particularly hard-hit.

Heavy snowfall continues to cause chaos across northern and western China, with some parts experiencing their worst snow in decades.

State-run media reports that local herders have been stranded alongside their herds in Altay, in the far north of the Xinjiang region.

[Make Su’er, Dep. Chief, Altay Agriculture and Animal Husbandry]: (Mandarin male)
"This snow has affected 82 percent of the livestock in our district, which means 2.22 million cattle have been hurt by it."

Roads in Altay have been blocked by days of heavy snowfall.

Rescuers had to shovel their way to reach trapped herders.

More snow is forecasted for Altay over the next several days, and temperatures are threatening to fall to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

In neighboring Inner Mongolia, it took workers hours of shoveling to clear heavy snow that blocked train tracks and roads near a small town.

The harsh weather in recent weeks in much of northern China has caused heavy losses for farmers and pushed energy demand to new peaks.