An independent and accurate assessment on the Chinese side of the damage caused by the same natural disaster that hit Nepal days ago, killing over 500, is difficult to make due to the Asian giant’s iron grip on the flow of information from the Tibet region which it sees as sensitive, according to a report.
However, in China, the state media only carried reports of rescue work and nothing about what the flash flood had destroyed and killed in its wake.
The report said that in a “broadcast from a relief centre in Tibet, the [Chinese state media] journalist did not speak to any of the people sitting behind him.”
Meanwhile, a fourth Indian flight carrying essential supplies and technical capabilities to support Nepal’s rescue and relief operations touched down in Kathmandu, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said today. Tibet, being a sensitive region for China, has seen intermittent protests including self-immolations by Tibetans calling for liberty and religious freedom. Except for the stage-managed visits sponsored by the Chinese government, the foreign press cannot access Tibet easily. But efforts were affected by rain and rising river waters, with Nepal’s disaster authorities urging rescue teams to exercise caution. The equipment and personnel include a tunnel technical contingent along with tools for search and rescue operations, as well as a team of forensic experts and equipment for DNA analysis.
He said an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130 aircraft brought additional assistance to the Himalayan nation, carrying specialised teams and equipment.
The Nepali army this morning said they are working to rescue workers who are believed trapped in a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site after they successfully inserted a pipe into the passage. Teams had “started sending air through the small opening”, Nepal’s Home Minister Sudan Gurung said in a statement. “The sudden glacial collapse and flash flood is a devastating reminder of how fragile these mountain environments can be,” UN climate chief Simon Steill said in a statement.
