An estimated 10,000 domestic and foreign tourists have been trapped since Thursday after rain-triggered flood cut off traffic in a scenic spot in southwest China.

Continuous downpours triggered floods in the Jinsha River, which began submerging the nearby key road linking Shangri-La, a mythical and enchanting wonderland in Yunnan Province, to the city of Lijiang, a renowned local cultural heritage for sightseeing, as of Thursday noon.

Hundreds of vehicles parked one after another on the paralyzed road, leaving many tourists waiting helplessly.

Realizing that the flood would not retreat quickly, the trapped tourists began to march on the mountain paths on Friday, trying to reach traffic at the other end of the stranded trunk road.

Tourists helped each other to overcome the bumpy and slippery mountain roads but many considered it an unexpected entertainment after the sightseeing.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2005)