(TibetanReview.net, Jul11’24) – A total of 342 people have been evacuated so far while 130 are still trapped in a mountainous town in Chinese ruled Tibet near Nepal’s border due to incessant rain since Jul 6, according to China’s official media reports cited by AP, AFP and others Jul 10.
Several severe landslides and mudslides have halted power and communications, though there have been no casualties so far in the disaster hit Tingkye (Chinese: Dinggyê) county of Shigatse City, said China’s official globaltimes.cn Jul 10.
Referring to Denthang (Zhêntang or Chentang) Town, the report cited state broadcaster CCTV as saying many sections of a major highway leading to a remote town in Dinggye county were either washed away by floods or blocked by landslides.
Footage published by the broadcaster show murky water tumbling down rocky hillsides, with large groups of people trekking along crumbled roads, the AFP cited CCTV as saying.
Large parts of one road appeared to have fallen into a river, while another one was covered in debris from a landslide, it said.
Rescuers, working for four days, had successfully relocated 342 of the stranded people to nearby urban areas.
“Additionally, more than 130 tourists from outside this area, migrant workers and merchants remain temporarily stranded there due to road disruptions, rainy weather and insufficient physical ability to walk long distances,” the CCTV report has said.
Those trapped were stated to also included migrant workers and business people.
The border town of Denthang lies by the Pumchu river at the Nepal-Tibet border. Most of the population of the town’s vicinity are said to be Sherpas.