BEIJING, Feb 6 AAP - At least 42 people have died with nearly 40,000 others injured in snowstorms in central China's Sichuan province.

The blizzards have plagued the north-western part of the province since October, the official China Daily newspaper reported.

A total of 18,000 people were in danger from the blizzards in four towns, with thousands suffering from frostbite and snow blindness.

Temperatures as low as minus 43 degrees Celsius had led to the deaths of at least 100,000 head of livestock, with economic losses in the province estimated to be at least 210 million yuan ($A33.8 million).

The first instalments of air-dropped relief supplies were flown to the region over the weekend. A total of 500,000 kilograms of grain and 11 tonnes of clothing have been allocated to the region by provincial authorities.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Qinghai province, a total of 442,600 head of livestock have been lost since the blizzards set in.

More than 17,000 people have been cut off from the outside world in that province for the past two months.