By Friday morning, two snowfalls, which started from Monday in east China's Zhejiang Province, had left six people dead, the provincial civil affairs department announced Saturday.

The victims mainly died in the collapse of simple workshop in the snow, which is said to be the heaviest over the past six years, said an official with the department, who declined to give his name.

The snow-hit areas include the cities of Shaoxing, Huzhou, Jinhua, Quzhou and Lishui. Nearly 400 houses were toppled and more than 564,000 people were affected, with a direct economic loss of 170 million yuan (US$20.5 million), said the official.

The central government has appropriated an emergency fund of 30million yuan (US$3.6 million) to Zhejiang to help the affected people to get through the winter. Another special fund is expected to be given to the victims before Jan. 20, according to the department.

(Xinhua News Agency January 1, 2005)