Beijing, December 12 – Seven people are missing and one person was injured in a recent massive avalanche in Medog county, in the eastern part of the Tibet autonomous region, a report said on Friday.
The avalanche occurred on December 3 on Mount Suila, at a height of around 4,400 metres. About 34 local residents from Medog were on their way to buy daily commodities in neighbouring Bomi county, when they were caught in the avalanche. Twenty-six of the travellers reached safety in Bomi.
On account of the remote location of the disaster site, the government of Medog county did not learn about the accident until December 7, and launched rescue work immediately. Rescue operations organised by Medog and Nyingchi prefecture are still underway, Xinhua news agency reported from Lhasa, Tibet’s capital.
Medog is the only county in China that has no road link to other parts of the country.
Local residents, government officials and soldiers have been mobilised for rescue work.
Continuing rain and snow in the Mount Suila area make further avalanches a possibility, the report said.
