Rescue & Aid
Bad weather slows down rescue vehicles
By Zhang Jin, Zuo Likun, Yan Weijue (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-04-19 14:54
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Worsening weather conditions began taking a toll on the frantic rescue efforts in quake-hit Yushu as it resulted in icy roads on the summit of Ela mountain and further traffic jams where vehicles were allowed to drive on one side.
Ela mountain is the third mountain on the way from Xining, capital of Qinghai, to Yushu, with an altitude of about 4,000 meters. According to the local traffic police, ice began forming Sunday night, with 3 centimeters of snow piling up along the road so far.
It took the China Daily staff car half an hour to struggle through the jammed 500-meter section of the road, where another 100 vehicles were still stranded, said the police.
The road from Xining to Yushu was scattered with cars and trucks stalled in the changing weather. Hail fell from dark clouds, followed by bright sunshine in just a few minutes.
