Seven Road Maintenance Workers Freeze to Death at Minus 48 Degrees in Xinjiang, China

Severe Cold Continues in Northern China Including Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Neimenggu, and Hebei
7 Workers Die While Walking Back After 1m Heavy Snowfall

Heavy snowfall in Altay, Xinjiang during the cold wave in northern China. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] Hong Kong Ming Pao reported on the 30th that seven workers died of hypothermia due to a cold wave with temperatures dropping to minus 48 degrees Celsius in the Xinjiang region of China.

According to the China Central Meteorological Observatory, severe cold has continued for three consecutive days since the 28th in northern China, including Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Hebei.

On the 30th, the lowest temperature in Eerguna, Inner Mongolia, was recorded at -42.7 degrees Celsius, and Hulunbuir dropped to -32 degrees Celsius. On the same day, northern Hebei regions such as Chengde and Zhangjiakou also experienced lows between -25 and -30 degrees Celsius.

Hong Kong Ming Pao reported that seven workers engaged in road construction in Xinjiang died suddenly due to the cold wave. According to the report, around 7 p.m. on the 28th, eight workers were performing road maintenance work in Arutai, the northernmost part of Xinjiang. When the construction was halted due to the cold wave and heavy snowfall, the vehicle carrying them got stuck in the snow while retreating to Arahaq village, 4 km away.

They abandoned the vehicle and attempted to walk to the village but lost contact. The next day, local police conducted a search and rescued one person, but seven were already deceased. At that time, the lowest temperature in Puyun County, Arutai, was reported to be -48.6 degrees Celsius, with snow accumulation exceeding 1 meter.

Ming Pao reported that there are criticisms that the order for workers to return on foot in such severe cold and heavy snow was inappropriate. There are also suspicions that the workers were trapped at the construction site due to quarantine controls and were only allowed to retreat late after the weather worsened, leading to the accident, but this has not been confirmed.

Meanwhile, on the 24th, a fire broke out in an apartment in Urumqi, Xinjiang, resulting in 10 deaths and 9 injuries. Opinions were raised that the firefighting was delayed due to quarantine lockdown structures. This incident triggered protests against the Chinese government's strict 'Zero COVID' policy, spreading across China.

Following the spread of COVID-19, lockdowns, and now the cold wave, there is analysis that economic activities in northern China may be further contracted.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.