CCTV9英语新闻：Traffic resumes in Xinjiang after 18 hour rescue（在线收听）

Sudden snowfall earlier this week blocked a national highway in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The local traffic control department worked nearly 20 hours to clear the snow, and traffic in the area has now returned to normal. 

The snow started around 3pm, Tuesday, in the mountainous areas of Kuqa County. Within half an hour, the snow level on roads along the Tie-li-mai-ti pass, a section of a major National Highway in the area, was up to one meter high in places. 

More than 140 cars were stranded as a result. The local traffic control then initiated an emergency mechanism, also putting into place a traffic control order so that all cars could pass the section smoothly. The pass is located in an altitude of 32 hundred meters above the sea level. 

Due to the geographical features, natural disasters are a frequent occurrence.