While the situation in Tibet remains shrouded in mystery following Wednesday’s flash floods that have claimed hundreds of lives in neighbouring Nepal, China has reportedly censored a viral video that showed the scale of devastation in the region.
The dramatic footage showed the floodwaters completely engulfing an immigration centre at the Gyirong Port near Tibet-Nepal border and had quickly gone viral on social media. However, the video has been reportedly removed from social media platforms.
China has reportedly directed authorities that the viral video should be made completely inaccessible to the public, particularly the foreign journalists. According to reports by BBC and The Telegraph, only a single still of the video appeared during the coverage by Chinese state media.
India TV had earlier reported on the viral video. Readers can click here to read the full story.
Foreign journalists have tried accessing information regarding the situation in Tibet but have been kept in complete darkness by Chinese authorities. As per the Chinese state broadcaster, 16 people have died in the tragedy, while around 546 remain missing.
Of the missing, 261 were foreign nationals comprising 104 from Nepal, 49 from India, 33 from Latvia, and 18 from the United States (US). “Chinese authorities have notified the respective embassies and consulates of these countries in China,” reported state broadcaster CCTV, citing officials.
Following multiple rounds of comprehensive region-wide surveys, site-specific checks, and individual verifications at the border crossing”, there are no foreign tourists stranded in Gyirong County, it added.
However, many believe that the death count could be higher than what the Chinese authorities have claimed, considering the fact that more than 650 people have lost their lives in Nepal. Notably, Nepal has also blamed the Chinese for failing to share early information regarding the tragedy, but Beijing has called for cooperation between two sides in aftermath of the destruction.
“China is preventing our people from crossing into its territory, even as families are still waiting for their loved ones to be found,” Nepali Parliament’s former member Rajendra Bajgain told The Telegraph. “Now we are being told that China is deleting footage of flooding. It raises very serious questions about what they are trying to hide. Removing evidence does not help establish the truth.”
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