Families of missing pilgrims in Tibet demand answers from China

Ten days after a devastating mudslide at the Nepal-Tibet border, 261 foreign nationals remain missing, according to Indian-born Finnish citizen Priyanka Choudhary's family. Choudhary, who was at a border crossing with Nepal while returning from a Hindu pilgrimage, is among the 31 confirmed dead and 531 missing in Tibet. Her family and others searching for lost relatives are frustrated with China's limited response, as there is no information from the Chinese side.

Choudhary's brother, Tarun, expressed his inability to understand the situation due to lack of communication from China. He stated, "We can't go to China and talk to anyone, so I'm not able to understand how things are..." No updates on the ground in Tibet or the status of missing individuals have been provided by China.

The disaster, which killed over 1,300 people, has also left more than 5,600 people missing on both sides of the border. Several families of the missing claim an information blackout in China, exacerbating their distress. Neetu Goyal Tiwari's brother, Naresh Goyal, shared that UK police collected a DNA sample from his sister's daughter to present to Chinese authorities.

However, China's foreign ministry has not addressed the accusations regarding the timeline for victim identification or DNA collection protocols on the Tibetan side.

China has invited diplomats of 23 countries to briefings in Beijing and stated it is working with other countries and agencies to identify the dead. They have sent DNA identification experts to Nepal, which has faced the brunt of the devastation. However, China has not provided video footage from its side of the border, including facial-recognition images, for sharing with families or identification purposes.