China is concealing scale of flood disaster, say Tibet campaigners
Rights group claims 300 homes were destroyed in Tibet and number of missing people is ‘far higher’ than Beijing admits A Tibetan advocacy group says hundreds of homes were destroyed on the Tibetan side of the border in last week’s deadly floods, raising questions about Beijing’s official account of the scale of the disaster. Public discussion about the flash floods has been restricted, with…
A Tibetan advocacy group has accused China of concealing the true scale of last week's deadly floods on the border between Tibet and Nepal. The International Campaign for Tibet claims that at least 300 homes have been destroyed and the number of missing people is far higher than Beijing admits. Security officials in Tibet have penalised at least 10 individuals for sharing "false disaster information".
Chinese authorities have confirmed 16 deaths and 546 missing, including 261 foreign citizens. Independent sources suggest the actual casualty figures are significantly higher. The collapse of a glacier on August 26 triggered the floods, destroying entire villages. Chinese coverage of the disaster has been dominated by official state media reports, with limited unofficial accounts.
Tibetans face severe restrictions on sharing information with journalists and advocacy groups outside China, making independent verification difficult.
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