Fifteen herdsmen have been saved, but one other has been killed when a heavy snowstorm hit pastureland in Kuqa County of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Rescuers found another herdsman buried in snow along a nearby highway and he was taken to hospital where he is still in danger, said Gong Xijie, an official with publicity department of Aksu City.

According to Gong, the exact number of people trapped in the snow is being investigated. Most of the victims are herdsmen as there are no villages in the snow-affected area.

Kuqa is located in southern Xinjiang and it is more than 800 kilometers away from the regional capital of Urumqi.

"The snow has come earlier and is much heavier than last year. In some areas the depth of the snow is more than one meter," said Gong. "We have sent more rescuers to find out if any others are trapped in the snow."

The county government has also sent rice, flour, vegetables, bottle water and winter closes to the affected area.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2007)