China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed 251,000
soldiers to battle the chaos caused by the unusually heavy snow
around the southern part of the country by 1 a.m. on Friday,
according to a military source.
The PLA's emergency response group also announced 772,000
militia and army reservists were participating in the fight against
the extreme weather.
More than 100 aircraft and helicopters are on standby, according
to air force sources.
The snow, the heaviest in decades in many places, has been
falling in China's eastern, central and southern regions for more
than a fortnight. It has caused death, structural collapse,
blackouts, accidents, transport problems and livestock and crop
destruction.
The PLA currently has 2.3 million troops, according to a White
Paper on China's National Defense.
(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2008)