The disaster-torn areas are located in the eastern and central parts of the Autonomous Region, said an official at the civil affairs department.

The snowstorms have affected nearly 660,000 people and 20 million ha of grassland. More than 16,000 livestock have been frozen to death.

The Xilin Gol League was affected the most as 13 people were frozen to death while another 14 are missing. The snowfall this winter is over 10 times heavier than previous years. As much as 37 centimeters of snow fell on the area of the League.

A snowstorm and sandstorm occurred on January 1. The visibility on the day was less than 50 meters with a big gale.

The disaster relief work was hindered by the bad weather condition.

An engineer of the Inner Mongolia Meteorological Bureau said that the abnormally powerful sand and snowstorm is the first one over the past four decades in the region. Meteorologists are studying the factors behind the occurrences.

The Meteorological Bureau predicted that snowstorms and the cold temperatures will dominate the area in the following days.

The government of the Autonomous Region and local governments have dispatched relief materials to the affected areas. It's neighboring municipality Beijing has made further donations.

(Xinhua 01/09/2001)