Tibet rescue hampered by fresh flood risks, heavy rain and buried roads under mud 1.5 metres thick
BEIJING, Aug 29 — Risks of renewed flooding, heavy rain and roads covered in mud are complicating the search for h...
On August 29, the search for hundreds of people missing in Tibet was hampered by fresh flood risks, heavy rain and roads buried under mud up to 1.5 meters thick, reported Chinese state media. The first rescuers reached the worst-hit site in Tibet on Friday afternoon, more than 50 hours after the mudslide struck the China-Nepal border on Wednesday morning.
The death toll in Tibet rose from three to five by Friday afternoon, with 558 people still missing. Chinese officials warned of "great difficulties" in the rescue operation due to the region's continued risk of secondary disasters, including glacial collapse, ice lake formation, and geological disasters. A large lake formed upstream after the mudslide, raising concerns it could burst and cause further flooding.
Rescue operations were temporarily paused due to these risks. Roads up to 2 miles from the border were submerged in mud, forcing rescuers to navigate through at least 1.5 meters of mud. Local media advised volunteer groups to stay away to ensure safe rescue operations. The Tibet Autonomous Region's limited accessibility to foreign journalists and ongoing heavy rain could further complicate the search, with weather authorities warning of "relative high risks" of disasters due to continuous rain potentially causing flash floods and mudslides.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
