Safety of herders causing concern

XINING: Fears are mounting for the safety of 863 herders and their families stranded in the mountainous areas of Qinghai province.

They have been cut off for a week following heavy snowstorms, local officials said yesterday.

Pema Gya, deputy government chief of Madoi county, an area hit hard by the snowstorms, said the herders might be running low on supplies, and 32 tons of fodder for their cattle could not be sent because of blocked roads.