Heavy snow cuts off more than 800 in western China

BEIJING (Reuters) - More than 800 cattle herders and their families have been cut off for more than a week by heavy snow in an ethnically Tibetan part of western China, state media said on Tuesday.

Snow falls hit the southern part of Qinghai province, which borders Tibet, late last month, and supplies are probably running low for the herders living there and their cattle, the Xinhua news agency said.

"Traffic has been cut off as thick snow blocked roads to townships including Huashixia, Machali, Huanghe and Zhalinghu, and the roads have remained icy," it quoted local official Pema Gya as saying.

There have been no reports of casualties yet. The government has hired three snowblowers to start clearing a way through on the ice- and snow-bound roads, the report added.