Three Malaysians Among 261 Foreign Nationals Still Unaccounted for Following Landslide in Tibet

GYIRONG, XIZANG (CHINA): Three Malaysians are among 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries who have been identified as still unaccounted for following the landslide that struck Gyirong Port on the China–Nepal border in the Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region in southwest China on Aug 26, according to local authorities on Sunday.

The latest figures were announced during a press conference organised by the regional government’s information office after joint search-and-rescue operations and information verification conducted by the authorities responsible for foreign affairs, public security, culture and tourism, and emergency management, Xinhua reported.

Of the 261 foreign nationals still unaccounted for, 104 are from Nepal, 49 from India, 33 from Latvia, 18 from the United States, 15 from the United Kingdom, six each from Canada and Australia, four from South Africa, and three each from Malaysia, Germany and Russia.

Also still unaccounted for are two nationals each from Ireland, Estonia, France, the Netherlands and New Zealand, as well as one national each from Kazakhstan, Finland, Lithuania, Portugal, Ukraine, Spain and Hungary.

Chinese authorities have informed the embassies and consulates of the affected countries in China about the situation, according to the press conference.

After several rounds of search operations, on-site inspections and checks on individuals at the border crossing, authorities said no foreign tourists are currently reported to be stranded in Gyirong County.

China has also set up two 24-hour English-language hotline numbers for the families of foreign nationals who remain unaccounted for: 0086-891-6817165 and 0086-18308026705.

BERNAMA – XINHUA