Altay Prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has suffered badly from heavy snow and freezing temperatures this winter.

Residents face a shortage of daily necessities, but goods from neighboring cities are being delivered around the clock to provide some relief.

A special train carrying urgently needed forage from Yili arrived in Altay on Monday.

The railway line isn't officially open, but two special trains have made their way through.

The 1,900 tons of corn forage was the second batch of relief to arrive from Yili.

Hu Changshou, director of Supervisory Office of Altay Prefecture, said, "More than half of our stockpile of grass and forage has been consumed. 80 thousand tons of grass and 28 thousand tons of forage, which will cost 200 million yuan, are needed. "

So far, Altay Prefecture has received a donation of more than 13 million yuan from around the country, along with more than 10 thousand padded jackets and seven thousand tons of forage.

(CCTV.com February 1, 2010)