ALL 31 outdoorsmen, who had been missing in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for three days, have been rescued.

All were in good condition, though some had a cold, when they were found on Saturday, according to a Xinmin Evening News report yesterday.

The Urumqi mountaineering and exploration association said a self-guided team of 43 trekkers from Xinjiang's Korla City began to climb from the south side of the Tianshan Mountain to the north side on May 1.

They planned to cross the Cheshi ancient road, part of the ancient , with a 50-kilometer-long mountain path and an average altitude of 2,500 meters, within three days.

But heavy fog and a blizzard scattered the team.

Only 12 people followed the correct route and finished the journey. The other 31 were lost.

About 5:20 PM on Saturday, rescuers discovered the lost people in a place more than 30 km away from their departure point.

(Shanghai Daily May 8, 2006)