DEQIN, Yunnan: A woman died in an ambulance yesterday morning after being rescued from an avalanche that killed one male tourist and injured six others in Southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The 33-year-old woman named Xu Ya was from East China's Jiangsu Province. The identity of the dead man is still unknown, Zhaxi Toinzhub, head of the Deqin County, said yesterday evening.

The six injured are described as being in stable condition and were expected to arrive at Shangri-la late yesterday, when it will be decided whether to treat them there or fly them to provincial capital Kunming.

The avalanche occurred at about 3:00 pm on Wednesday on Meili Snow Mountain, about 10 km northeast of Deqin County in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Deqin.

Almost 700 people, including police officers, armed soldiers, medical workers and tourism officials, have been engaged in the rescue operation.

Meili Snow Mountain, about 800 km northwest of Kunming, is a popular scenic spot on the boundary of Yunnan and the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Xinhua

(China Daily 05/04/2007 page1)