China: 16 dead, 546 still missing after flash floods in Tibet
The death toll from flash floods in Tibet near the Nepal border climbed to 16 on Sunday, with 546 people, including 49 Indians, still missing, Chinese officials said.
The massive flash floods struck the immigration port at Gyirong-Nepal border on August 26, where hundreds waited on both sides either to enter or exit Tibet.
The death toll of the devastating disaster rose to 16 on Sunday, said Chinese officials who are carrying out relief and rescue operations in Gyirong county in Tibet.
In Nepal, the death toll has surged to 734, while nearly 2,500 remain missing.
The disaster, believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the border, also left 546 people missing in Tibet.
The missing included 261 foreigners from 23 countries, including 49 Indians.
A large number of Indian pilgrims were visiting Tibet to take part in the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra after ties between China and India improved.
The missing people include 104 people from Nepal, 33 from Latvia, 18 from the US, and 15 from the UK. Others from Canada, Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, Germany, Russia, Ireland, are also missing, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Chinese authorities have notified the embassies and consulates of the countries to which the missing people belong, it said.
Following multiple rounds of searches, site inspections and checks of individuals at the port, no foreign tourists are currently stranded in Gyirong County, it added.
China has also opened two 24-hour English-language hotlines for the families of the unaccounted-for foreign nationals: 0086-891-6817165 and 0086-18308026705.
