China rainstorm leaves 80 vehicles stranded in Tibet

Rainstorms followed by severe landslides marooned many passengers on a Tibetan highway early on Thursday.

Heavy rainstorms followed by severe landslides stranded more than 80 vehicles and an unspecified number of passengers on a Tibetan highway early on Thursday morning, said reports from the remote Himalayan region.

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The cave-ins occurred at more than 30 locations within five kilometres on state Highway Number 318 that links Tibet with the neighbouring Sichuan Province, said People's Armed Police officials.

The accidents hollowed about 2,900 cubic metres of the highway between 3,482 and 3,487 kilometres in the mountainous Markam County of Qamdo Prefecture in eastern Tibet, Xinhua news agency reported.

Traffic is expected to resume by this evening, an armed police officer in charge of the road work said.

Heavy rain has battered several localities in central, eastern and southwestern China this week, causing heavy casualties.