ULAN BATOR, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were missing in Mongolia due to heavy snow and blizzards, according to the country's emergency management authority on Saturday.

The search for the missing people in the eastern province of Sukhbaatar and the western provinces of Bayan-Ulgii and Khovd is currently underway, the National Emergency Management Agency said in a statement.

Heavy snow, strong winds and blizzards have swept Mongolia from west to east starting Thursday night, causing icy roads and poor visibility.

The agency urged citizens, especially nomadic herders and drivers, to take extra precautions against possible disasters.

Almost all provinces of Mongolia have experienced extreme weather known as "dzud" this winter, and over 80 percent of the country has been blanketed by snow, according to the country's weather monitoring agency.

Around 612,000 heads of livestock have so far died in the extreme weather this winter.

Mongolia, one of the last nomadic countries in the world, has a harsh continental climate with frequent strong winds, snow and dust storms. Enditem

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