One Million farm animals and 32 people die in snowstorms
Snowstorms rippling across north east Asia have killed at least 32 people and over a million farm animals as rescuers struggle to cut through snowbound roads.
In South Korea, the storms began on Sunday, churning up seas and blanketing the country in snow as deep as 98 centimetres.
Three fishermen have drowned after two boats capsized in high waves near Cheju Island off the southern coast and a fourth has been swept away while angling.
Two dozen houses and thousands of barns and fish farms have been destroyed and one million farm animals, mostly chickens, have been killed, contributing to property damage of 188 billion won ($150m), South Korean officials say.
Head-high drifts have hindered rescuers trying to reach thousands of people trapped for a week in northern China's Inner Mongolian region.
Drivers of trucks carrying food, fuel and animal feed have found some roads impassable and others so treacherous that they can only travel 100 kilometres per day.
With homes on the vast Inner Mongolian grasslands often separated by dozens of kilometres, rescuers have reached only a fraction of those trapped.
In Xilin Gol, in central Inner Mongolia, 27 people are confirmed dead and another 14 are missing, China's official Xinhua News Agency said. Snowfalls are 10 times heavier than in previous years. Xinhua says 947,000 people are affected. At least 30,000 cattle have died and about 10,000 are missing.
Parts of Japan have had 20 centimetres of snow over 24 hours, disrupting rail, road and air traffic.
