Temperatures over the next few days could fall to as low as minus 42 degrees Celsius (minus 43 Fahrenheit) in parts of Xinjiang, with blizzards forecast, the China Daily newspaper reported.

A harsh cold front that has gripped vast regions of northern China has already affected a total of 530,000 people in Xinjiang, it said, without elaborating.

More than 100,000 houses have been "flattened" or damaged amid the heaviest snowstorms there in a decade, and 15,200 livestock have been killed from exposure to the cold or lack of food due to the massive snowfalls, it said.

Direct economic losses were estimated at 200 million yuan (29 million dollars).

More snow, rain and falling temperatures also will affect much of the rest of China this week, the report said.

State media reports had said last week that three people had died in Xinjiang and six nationwide.

In Xinjiang's northernmost Altay region, authorities were attempting to move more than 10,000 livestock out of difficult-to-reach mountain areas to save them.

China has endured an unusually early and cold winter, reaching its height since January 1 with heavy snow across vast parts of the north, rare snowfalls further south and persistent sub-freezing temperatures.

The situation has caused several provinces and regions to ration electricity or take other power-saving moves to reduce strain on electric grids as residents turn up the heat to stay warm.

State media reports also have said birds were dying in large numbers in northern China due to the cold, and shipping has been disrupted by the worst sea ice in three decades in northeast China's Bohai Gulf.

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