China evacuates 1,000 after Tibet-Nepal border flash floods

Beijing,UPDATED: Aug 28, 2026 09:56 IST

Chinese officials said on Friday that more than 1,000 people, including 555 tourists, have been evacuated from Gyirong County near the Tibet-Nepal border after flash floods caused heavy casualties in the border region. The floods struck Gyirong Port in the Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday and swept through villages and towns near the China-Nepal border.

Three people were killed in Tibet and 469 in Nepal, while hundreds remain missing. Chinese state media said no tourist is now stranded in the area, while affected residents in Gyirong County have been resettled. Authorities have also issued a warning over a newly formed barrier lake that could flood downstream areas if it breaches.

According to state-run Xinhua news agency, 499 villagers and construction workers, along with 555 affected tourists, were evacuated from Gyirong County and transferred under the coordination of cultural and tourism authorities. The state-run Global Times reported that no tourist remains stranded in the area.

Chinese civil aviation authorities also joined the rescue effort. By Thursday, civil aviation services had transported 324 rescue personnel and delivered 24 tonnes of rescue equipment, daily essentials and medical supplies to the disaster-hit area, Xinhua reported. The support was meant to aid the emergency response and the relocation of affected residents.

The flash floods cut off roads leading to the port on the Chinese side and also disrupted communication and power supplies. State-run CGTV reported that phased progress had been made in restoring emergency communication support and infrastructure. Quoting the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, it said one telecom base station had been restored, two new base stations had been put into operation, and 5G inter-network roaming had also been activated.

Late on Thursday, China issued a Level-IV alert, warning that a barrier lake formed at the meeting point of two rivers faced a high risk of breaching and flooding areas downstream. Authorities estimate that about 2 million cubic metres of water had accumulated in the lake near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers, with another 3 million cubic metres likely to flow into it over the next three days.

In summary, China has evacuated more than 1,000 people from Gyirong County after the flash floods, moved stranded tourists and affected residents to safety, and stepped up rescue and restoration work as it monitors the threat from the barrier lake.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends