Beijing, Chinese officials on Friday said more than 1,000 people, including 555 tourists, have been evacuated from Gyirong County near the Tibet-Nepal border after devastating flash floods that caused heavy casualties.
The flash floods struck Gyirong Port in the Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday, sweeping through villages and towns near the China-Nepal border area. Three people were killed in Tibet and 469 in Nepal, while hundreds of others remain missing.
A total of 499 villagers and construction workers as well as 555 affected tourists were evacuated in Gyirong County and transferred under the coordination of cultural and tourism authorities, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Deep Dive
What actions are being taken to monitor the barrier lake near Gyirong County following the floods?
Why is there a concern about the newly formed barrier lake at the Tibet-Nepal border?
How are rescue efforts being supported in the Tibet-Nepal flood disaster zone?
No tourist remains stranded in the area now, according to the state-run Global Times.
Residents affected by the flash floods in Gyirong County have been resettled, and all stranded tourists have been transferred, Xinhua quoted local authorities as saying.
Civil aviation authorities also joined the rescue efforts.
By Thursday, civil aviation services had transported 324 rescue personnel and delivered 24 tonnes of rescue equipment, daily necessities and medical supplies to the disaster-hit area, providing support for emergency response and the relocation of affected residents, the report said.
{{/usCountry}}By Thursday, civil aviation services had transported 324 rescue personnel and delivered 24 tonnes of rescue equipment, daily necessities and medical supplies to the disaster-hit area, providing support for emergency response and the relocation of affected residents, the report said.
{{/usCountry}}Roads leading to the port on the Chinese side were cut off by the flash floods, which also impacted communications and power supplies.
State-run CGTV reported that phased progress has been made in restoring emergency communication support and infrastructure.
One telecom base station has been successfully restored, two new base stations have been put into operation and 5G inter-network roaming functionality has been simultaneously activated, the report quoted the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as saying.
Late on Thursday, China sounded a Level-IV alert, warning that a newly formed barrier lake at the confluence of two rivers faces a high risk of breaching and flooding downstream areas.
Chinese authorities estimate that about 2 million cubic metres of water had accumulated in the barrier lake near the confluence of Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers, with another 3 million cubic metres potentially flowing into it over the next three days, raising concerns that the natural barrier could breach.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.