Mudslides trap 500 on Xinjiang highway

Photo taken on Feb. 27, 2015 shows police officers guiding vehicles stranded due to mudslide at a section of the Sino-Pakistan Highway in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The mudslide caused over 500 people and at least 100 vehicles stranded. (Xinhua/Han Guangning)

URUMQI, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- More than 500 people and 100 vehicles have been trapped after mudslides triggered by melting snow hit a section of the Karakoram Highway in northwest China's Xinjiang on Friday.

The blocked road is located in Akto County of the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, which has been plagued by heavy snow since Thursday.

But with rising temperatures, the melting snow caused mudslides, which cut off the section linking Kashgar to Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of the Karakoram Highway, said Dong Bo, head of a border check point in the prefecture.

Local government authorities have sent rescuers to clear the road and evacuate trapped people.

The Karakoram Highway, which runs more than 1,000 km, links China's Xinjiang with Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region. The road is frequently hit by geological disasters owing to its high elevation.