Dharamshala: Five people were killed, several injured and over 53 remained missing after heavy rains triggered a landslide in a remote and mountainous area of Dhartsedho county, eastern Tibet (Now southwest China) on Thursday, said state-run Xinhua.The report did not clarified how many Tibetans lost their lives in the nature disaster, but it said that the victims were construction laborers who had been working on a dam in Dhartsedho (Ch: Kangding) county, an area traditionally populated by Tibetans.
The state-run Xinhua also reported that five Tibetans dead, over 150 injured, and 1,2000 Tibetans were effected by a nature disaster; floods and landslide on 20 July in Machu county, eastern Tibet.
The state-run Xinhua news agency said that the disaster occurred at 3:00 am and also blocked a local river, causing a lake to build up behind the rubble.
However, Xinhua reported that those trapped had been rescued, but it didn't mentioned whether they were Tibetans or Chinese. "The heavy rains yesterday and today caused the landslides," said an official at the Chinese emergency headquarters in Dhartsedho, Karze county, eastern Tibet.
According to China National Radio, a stretch of highway nearly three kilometres (two miles) long was engulfed by the landslide, while electricity to the area was cut and communications disrupted.
The 97 stranded people were halfway up a mountainside overlooking the river and mudslide. With the weather improving throughout Thursday, the chances of safely evacuating the stranded people were good, it said.
