(TibetanReview.net, Jun03’25) – A landslide in Chamdo (Chinese: Qamdo) City of Tibet (Autonomous Region) has left at least three people dead, two others injured and seven more missing, reported China’s official Xinhua news agency and others Jun 2. Also, continuous heavy rainfall has struck multiple areas in the historically Tibetan-inhabited prefecture of Dechen (Chinese: Diqing) in Yunnan province, triggering multiple disasters, reported China’s official globaltimes.cn Jun 2.
The report did not say what triggered the Chamdo landslide, which occurred at around 9:30 pm in the city’s Mutha (Muta) Township of Tengchen (Dengqen) County.
The injured people were stated to be in stable condition in hospital.
About 500 rescuers, medical workers and firefighters, as well as sniffer dogs, were stated to be involved in the search and rescue operation, supported by ambulances, excavators and telecommunication and electricity supply facilities.
The landslide displaced about 200,000 cubic metres of mud and rocks, reported the PTI news agency Jun 2.
It cited experts as saying there was a risk of a potentially secondary landslide triggered by the disaster.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management was stated to have initiated a Level-IV emergency response for geographical disasters and dispatched a team to support local rescue efforts.
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Meanwhile, continuous heavy rainfall recently has struck multiple areas in the historically Tibetan-inhabited prefecture of Dechen (Chinese: Diqing) and neighbouring Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan province, said the globaltimes.cn report.
The report said severe weather had damaged many homes, disrupted several roads, and prompted local authorities to mobilize comprehensive rescue and disaster relief efforts, As of 8 pm Sunday (Jun 1), the disasters had affected 5,885 people from 1,652 households in Nujiang, the report said, without mentioning any numbers for the similarly affected in Dechen.
The report said the downpours also triggered landslides, mudslides, flash floods, and other hazards along several highway sections in Dechen, which is home to the highly popular tourist county of Gyalthang, renamed by China as Shangri-La in order to attract more tourists.
The report said that beginning at 4:50 am on Saturday (May 31), fire brigades in Dechen deployed a total of 21 vehicles and 108 personnel to conduct evacuation and rescue operations in multiple townships.
Responders were stated to have held centralized safety briefings for over 500 villagers in Dechen on risks such as retrieving debris from rivers and fire hazards due to power outages.
Also, widespread flash floods were stated to have struck the Meili Snow Mountain scenic area in Dechen, prompting the urgent evacuation of over 300 tourists and the temporary closure of the site.