In Tibet, heavy snow has halted traffic on some sections of a major highway running through the region. Workers and soldiers are still working around the clock to clear snow from the roads. Parts of the highway reopened to traffic on Saturday afternoon, five days after being blocked.

In Tibet, heavy snow has halted traffic on some sections of a major highway running through the region. [Xinhua]

The snowstorm that began on Tuesday blanketed a pivotal highway linking southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region and Nepal with up to two meters of snow.

The China-Nepal highway is an 829 kilometres scenic route connecting Lhasa and Kathmandu and was built in 1965.

Heavy snow this week has destroyed homes and disrupted traffic, power supplies and telecommunication in parts of Tibet. Authorities say it will take one or two more days to clear away all the snow.

Nyalam was the county worst hit by the February 7th snowstorm. And Tongla Mountain is the most difficult section of Highway 318. Snow stood about two meters high. The call for help came the next day to the 5 men and 4 women at the rescue station.

Yi Xi, a rescue worker, said, "We went on foot to save those 5 people at 7 am on February 8th, and carried them back down five kilometers."

The photos record the rescue. Tongla Mountain was shrouded in white.

Yi Xi, a rescue worker, said, "For a rescue mission, if we can save them, we feel very relieved. But if we cannot save them, we are very upset and sad."

Yi Xi and his colleagues have rescued 232 people in the Shigatse area. Now, they are back to work on clearing the road.

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