BEIJING (AFP) Mar 16, 2005 Severe and unseasonal snow storms have left at least 36 people dead in southwest China, with about 190,000 people snowed in and 21,000 collapsed houses, a news report said on Wednesday.
More than eight million people have been affected by the blizzards in Yunnan province, which normally enjoys a mild climate but had a metre (three feet) of snow in some areas between March 3-12, the semi-official China News Service said.
The province's economic losses due to the bad weather conditions were estimated at 2.5 billion yuan (300 million dollars).
