Two people are reported dead after days of rain and snow
triggered avalanches and mudslides in two remote counties in
eastern Tibet.
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At about 4 P.M. Wednesday, three people digging caterpillar
fungus were buried by a sudden avalanche near a highway in Zayu
County of Nyingchi Prefecture. An 18-year-old woman was confirmed
dead, while the other two were rescued.
A snowslide in Baxoi County, Qamdo Prefecture also killed one
and injured another on Wednesday morning. Twelve villages in the
county have been affected by severe snowfall and avalanches.
More than 10 avalanches on Wednesday and Thursday cut traffic in
the Niutagou section of No.318 highway linking Tibet and
neighboring Sichuan Province. Luckily, no people or
vehicles have been trapped.
Repair work on the highway has been expedited but local sources
said it was difficult to say when the road would be reopened, as
snow continues to fall.
Avalanches and mudslides also blocked the only highway to Zayu
County, isolating more than 22,000 people.
"The extent of damage to villages and towns is not clear as
communication between the county seat and those places has been
severed," said an official who declined to give his name.
Zayu has received more than 140 millimeters of rainfall since
Monday, more than half the county's monthly average for May,
according to the official.
Located in southeastern Tibet, Zayu County borders India and
Myanmar and has a total population of 26,200, including 22,700
farmers and herders living in remote villages. More than 70 percent
are Tibetan.
More than 1,000 cubic meters of snow covered a 90-meter-long
stretch of the highway, while the mudslide left a 35-meter-deep
gully on another section of the road, he said.
The Nyingchi prefecture government and the neighboring county of
Bomi has sent work crews to repair the highway and communication
facilities.
The local government has also sent relief supplies including
food and quilts to the affected area, said the official.
The regional weather office predicted lighter rain for
Friday.
(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2007)