A policeman shovels the snow at Altay prefecture in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Jan 3, 2015.
Five police officers from local station rescued nearly 100 tourists trapped in 21 vehicles in two-meter-deep snow at Altay prefecture in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Sunday.
After being told that passengers on a vehicle were buried in the snow due to an avalanche, the policemen immediately went to the location and used shovels to clear the snow in minus 30 degree temperature.
When tourists and passersby saw policemen's faces and hands becoming swollen due to the cold, they too began helping them in clearing the snow.
Four hours later, the tourists and the buried vehicle were rescued.
Altar prefecture has seen the heaviest snow fall in a decade, lasting 15 days and leaving some mountain areas covered in two-meter-high snow.
