Monitoring Desk
BEIJING: At least eight people were killed as an avalanche trapped several vehicles outside a highway tunnel in Tibet, international media reported on Wednesday.
The ice and falling snow collapsed at the exit of the tunnel which connected the outlying Medog county with city of Nyingchi in Tibet’s southwest on Tuesday evening. The authorities concerned reported Wednesday night that the search and rescue mission was underway. It was not clear how many people were still missing.
Avalanche hit road
The avalanche hit a section of road between the exit of the Doxong La tunnel in Medog county and Pai village in Mainling county at around 1200 GMT on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, with vehicles and people stranded, according to Xinhua News Agency.
A total of 28 emergency vehicles and 131 rescuers were sent to the site, with the Ministry of Emergency Management of the central government sending a team to assist the rescuers in their efforts. Nyingchi lies at an elevation of around 3,040 meters, about five hours drive from Lhasa, the regional capital, along a highway opened in 2018. Temperatures at nighttime during winter routinely drops well below freezing.
