More than 80 passengers stranded amid blizzard on a highway in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been rescued by Tuesday afternoon.

The passengers in more than 30 vehicles had been stranded by heavy snow on the Tacheng-Karamay highway since Sunday afternoon, said He Jinwu, a local official in charge of road maintenance.

The highway had been closed for three days before it reopened to traffic Tuesday afternoon.

Heavy snow since late Sunday has delayed flights, closed highways and caused casualties in Xinjiang.

Northern areas in Xinjiang was suffering from the worst snow in 60 years, with snow accumulating to 50 centimeters deep on the average and 1-2 meters in mountainous areas, said Shi Yuguang, director of the regional meteorological bureau.

China's central government on Tuesday allocated 124 million yuan (US$18.2 million) to help people suffering from cold waves and blizzards in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.

Disaster relief goods including quits, tents and foods had been provided by the regional government and the Red Cross Society of China.

The National Meteorological Center said Tuesday that Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and and other northern regions will see strong wind, snow and temperature drop of 8 to 12 degrees Celsius in the coming three days.

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2010)