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Earthquake strikes Tibet (representative image)
An earthquake of magnitude 5 struck Tibet on Thursday, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).The quake occurred at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), GFZ said.The earthquake struck as rescue and recovery operations continued in Tibet following catastrophic flooding near the Gyirong border crossing with Nepal last week.China on Wednesday fully reopened the only road leading to the Gyirong crossing after sections of it were washed away, allowing heavy machinery to reach the main disaster zone for the first time, Reuters reported.The damage to the G216 national highway had earlier forced authorities to airdrop equipment and supplies to frontline rescuers, while some teams trekked through the mountains to reach the affected area.China's official death toll from the flooding in Tibet had risen to 21 by Wednesday, with 541 people still missing, according to Reuters.The missing included 104 Nepali citizens, 49 Indians, 33 Latvians and six Canadians, authorities had previously said.Rescue operations have been hampered by persistent rain, unstable cliffs and the fast-flowing river in the narrow mountain gorge, though authorities said the risks from monitored upstream lakes had diminished.
Landslides, however, remained a concern.
Nepal races to find survivors, rebuild warning system
Across the border in Nepal, rescue teams were racing to reach workers believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels, one of the remaining hopes of finding survivors after the Himalayan flood.At least 1,252 people have been confirmed dead in Nepal and more than 4,200 remain missing.Rescue efforts have increasingly focused on hydroelectric project tunnels, where authorities believe workers may have survived after being cut off by floodwaters and debris.Specialised rescue teams from India, China and the United States were involved in tunnel rescue attempts.Meanwhile, Nepal plans to rebuild an early-warning system for landslides along part of its border with China after the glacial flood swept away existing monitoring infrastructure, Reuters reported, citing two Nepali government sources.The new system is expected to include seismic sensors, cameras and a satellite link to help authorities monitor fresh hazards and issue warnings.The immediate danger from two barrier lakes near the border has passed after they drained, but the terrain remains unstable and is being closely watched.
