The death toll from flash floods in Tibet near the Nepal border has risen to 16, while 546 people, including 49 Indians, are still missing, Chinese officials said on Sunday. In neighbouring Nepal, the death toll has climbed to 734 and nearly 2,500 people remain missing.
The floods hit the Gyirong-Nepal border immigration port on August 26, when hundreds of people were waiting on both sides to either enter or leave Tibet. Chinese officials said relief and rescue operations are continuing in Gyirong county. The disaster is believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the border.
Chinese officials said the 546 missing in Tibet include 261 foreigners from 23 countries, among them 49 Indians. A large number of Indian pilgrims had travelled to Tibet for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra after ties between India and China improved.
According to state-run Xinhua news agency, the missing also include 104 people from Nepal, 33 from Latvia, 18 from the US and 15 from the UK. People from Canada, Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, Germany, Russia and Ireland are also among those missing.
Xinhua said Chinese authorities have informed the embassies and consulates of the countries whose nationals are missing. It also said that after multiple rounds of searches, site inspections and checks of individuals at the port, no foreign tourists are currently stranded in Gyirong county.
China has opened two 24-hour English-language hotlines for the families of unaccounted-for foreign nationals: 0086-891-6817165 and 0086-18308026705. The floods at the Gyirong-Nepal border have left 16 dead in Tibet and hundreds missing, including Indian nationals, even as rescue efforts continue and Nepal also faces heavy casualties and missing persons.
With PTI Inputs
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