BEIJING— A state news agency says the death toll from freezing weather and snowstorms in China's far western Xinjiang region since December has climbed to 30.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday that the snowstorms, the worst in six decades, had seriously affected 1.88 million people.

It quoted the region's deputy chairman Qian Zhi as saying the economic losses could be as high as 2.66 billion yuan ($390 million). Qian warned of possible flooding in the spring when the snow melts. (AP)