The Qinghai-Tibet Highway was blocked due to continuous snowfall which began on Nov. 30, said officials with the Tibet road bureau on Thursday.

The traffic jam appeared Nov. 30 when some vehicles couldn't start because of frigid temperature and slippery road surface. So far approximately 1,000 vehicles have been stranded on the road, said official sources.

The emergency relief work has begun, but rescue teams and facilities couldn't reach the affected site. Food, medicine and materials to keep warm will soon be supplied to those stranded on the highway.

The snowy days have made relief more difficult, but the local government departments will take every possible effort to resume transport on the road as soon as possible, the officials said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2004)