One villager was killed and nine others were seriously injured
when a super avalanche attacked a village of Bomi County in
southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday, according
to sources with the Chinese People's Armed Police (PAP).
Rescuers are searching for seven villagers who went missing in
the disaster.
Triggered by torrential rains and ice and snow thawing, the
disaster occurred abruptly at about 9:00 a.m. near the Bitong
village, 53 km from the county seat of Bomi, resulting in serious
mud-rock flow, sources said. The mud-rock flow destroyed a
850-meter section of the highway linking Tibet and Sichuan
Province.
Continuous rains and snow-melting also aggravated mud-rock flows
in the disaster area and hampered rescue operations, according to
the sources.
Upon learning about the disaster, the communication corps of the
PAP dispatched its men and equipment to the site for emergency
rescue.
The PAP members have been fighting the torrential mud-rock flow,
repairing road, and searching for trapped villagers and evacuating
them to safe places.
The cut-off traffic is expected to be resumed on September
7.
Bomi, with an average altitude of 4,200 meters, is situated in
eastern Tibet.
(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2007)