Tibet

PLA Air Force constrained by Tibetan plateau, says IAF chief A P Singh

IAF chief A P Singh says high-altitude airfields constrain China's air operations, while India benefits from lower-altitude bases, full payload capacity and faster response times

Rescuers search for survivors after Tibet earthquake kills 16, injures 76

Rescuers combed through a remote area in the Chinese region of Tibet on Friday after a magnitude 7 earthquake killed at least 16 people, injured 76 and collapsed hundreds of homes, according to Chinese state media. The disaster struck Nagqu, a city north of Tibet's capital Lhasa that is some 4,800 metres (15,748 feet) above sea level, on Thursday. At least 339 homes collapsed, and officials told journalists they were concerned about further building collapses from aftershocks, as well as casualties from rockslides. China's national broadcaster CCTV aired footage on Friday showing collapsed houses and shattered stone walls in Nagqu. More than 12,000 residents in the region were evacuated, with additional shelters under construction, China's official news agency Xinhua reported. No one was reported missing in Baqen County in Nagqu, where the earthquake struck. Search and rescue efforts are complicated by the geography and low temperatures, officials said. As of Friday afternoon, ...

Tibet earthquake kills 16: A look at major Himalayan quakes in recent years

From Tibet and Nepal to northern India, powerful earthquakes have killed thousands, destroyed homes over the years, highlighting the Himalayan region's vulnerability to seismic activity

16 killed, 65 injured after earthquake of magnitude 7 strikes Tibet

A magnitude 7 earthquake hit China's Tibet region on Thursday evening, killing at least 16 people, injuring 46 and collapsing hundreds of homes in the northern regional city of Nagqu, official media said. Search and rescue efforts continued following the collapse of at least 339 homes and 20 livestock sheds, the Nagqu media office said, citing city government officials. Among the injured, 11 people were in serious condition and the other 35 sustained minor injuries, the media office said. More than 1,600 people from the local county were deployed for rescue efforts. Supplies including 1,000 prefabricated housing units, around 3,000 tents and folding beds, as well as flashlights and winter clothing arrived in the region. China's official news agency Xinhua said on Friday that communication in part of the region has been down. Local railway authorities have taken emergency actions to halt trains passing through the region. The earthquake also caused rockfalls that have forced local .

What caused Nepal’s flash flood? | Tibet | Bhote Koshi River | Rasuwa | USGS

A deadly flash flood struck Nepal’s Rasuwa district on August 26, killing more than 160 people and leaving over 750 missing, including 133 Indians.

'Don't need help': Nepal rejects foreign rescue teams after flash floods

The flood tore through areas including Rasuwa district near ‌the Chinese border, levelling entire towns, damaging hydropower projects ​and killing close to 500 ​people

Nepal issues new flood warning as water level rises at site of flash flood

Nepal authorities on Friday issued a fresh flood warning after the water level increased at the site where a devastating flash flood occurred earlier this week, urging people and rescue workers in the area to move to safer locations. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the rise in the water level at the same site raised the risk of another flood in the area. The warning comes after a massive flash flood swept through Rasuwa and other parts of central Nepal on Wednesday, killing hundreds and causing widespread damage to settlements, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure. "The water level mixed with mud has increased at the same place where the flash flood occurred on Wednesday, and there is a risk of more flooding in the area," the authority said in a fresh notice. The NDRRMA urged people involved in search and rescue operations, as well as those staying in the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli areas for various reasons, to remain highly alert a

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

Chinese officials on Friday said more than 1,000 people, including 555 tourists, have been evacuated from Gyirong County near the Tibet-Nepal border after devastating flash floods that caused heavy casualties. The flash floods struck Gyirong Port in the Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday, sweeping through villages and towns near the China-Nepal border area. Three people were killed in Tibet and 469 in Nepal, while hundreds of others remain missing. A total of 499 villagers and construction workers as well as 555 affected tourists were evacuated in Gyirong County and transferred under the coordination of cultural and tourism authorities, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. No tourist remains stranded in the area now, according to the state-run Global Times. Residents affected by the flash floods in Gyirong County have been resettled, and all stranded tourists have been transferred, Xinhua quoted local authorities as saying. Civil aviation authorities also joined the re

Fast-swelling lakes trigger fresh flood warnings in Nepal and China

At least 469 people have been confirmed dead, a toll that's expected to rise in the coming days after fast-moving waters swept through villages, wiping out bridges, roads and entire settlements

Death toll from Nepal-Tibet flash flood climbs to 469, search ops continue

The death toll from flash floods in central Nepal rose to 469 on Friday, with more bodies recovered as search and rescue operations continued for the third day following the disaster. In a statement, Nepal Police said the bodies were recovered from eight districts of the Himalayan nation. According to the police, 178 dead bodies have been recovered from Chitwan, 110 from Nawalparasi East, 44 from Gorkha, 37 from Nuwakot and 33 from Dhading district. Similarly, 28 bodies have been recovered from Tanahu, 27 from Nawalparasi West and 12 from Rasuwa. So far, 1,545 injured and stranded people have been rescued from various affected regions. Among them, 84 are currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Kathmandu. Search and rescue operations continued for the third day of the tragic incident with the mobilisation of 7,451 security personnel, including 2,391 Nepal Army personnel, the statement said. An ice-rock avalanche triggered by a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet b

US pledges $500,000 aid, WHO extends support to Nepal amid flash floods

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs said she spoke with Nepal's Foreign Minister about the ongoing search-and-rescue efforts, including urgent efforts to locate missing US citizens

Scientists find clues behind floods in Nepal, Tibet in satellite imagery

As rescue teams searched Thursday for missing people following catastrophic flooding along the Nepal-China border, Earth scientists reviewed satellite imagery for clues to the cause and assessed the devastation. The flooding killed hundreds of people in Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. Many more are still missing, including scores of foreigners and pilgrims. Geomorphologists Kristen Cook and Dan Shugar said initial images from Nepal on Wednesday were obscured by clouds and dust from the debris, so they could only see that part of a glacier had broken off from the Langtang Lirung peak, near the border with Tibet. In clearer images from Thursday, they said they could see that the bedrock underneath the glacier had collapsed, taking the massive chunk of ice down with it and sending boulders and ice into the valley. "It shows the whole area without anything hidden, and we could see that, yes, it looked like there was not only this glacier that had failed, but a much larger chunk of the ..

17 killed, nearly 750 missing as flash flood sweeps through Nepal districts

A sudden, massive flood swept through two central Nepal districts bordering Tibet killing four people, causing extensive devastation at settlements along the river and damaging at least a dozen hydropower projects early Wednesday. The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi River at around 9 am (local time) coming from the Tibet side affecting Rasuwa and Dhading districts bordering Tibet and Nuwakot district, southwest of Kathmandu, officials said. The flooding was not caused by local rains in Rasuwa but possibly because of the heavy rainfall or avalanche on the Tibetan side, they said, but the exact cause is yet to be ascertained. Multiple downstream districts, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitawan, have been placed on high alert even as officials started search and rescue operations with the help of Nepal Army in the affected areas. The sudden rise in water caused widespread destruction in Timure in Rasuwa district and the nearby Syafrubesi area, with vehicles, goods and .

China sets up high-altitude drone R&D centre in Tibet near Mt Everest

China has established a drone research and development centre near Mount Everest in Tibet to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for operations in high-altitude areas to bolster border patrols, security, logistics and transport. Tibet, often referred to as the roof of the world, is over 4,000 metres high. The cold high-altitude plateau is also low on Oxygen. With rugged terrain and rapidly changing weather, it is regarded as an ideal ground for developing drone technology, according to Chinese engineers. The Plateau Drone R&D Application Centre was launched at Xizang (Tibet) University onJuly 3, marking the official launch of China's first professional platform dedicated entirely to the research, development and practical deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in high-altitude plateau environments, state-run Xinhua news agency reported earlier from provincial capital Lhasa. The high-altitude centre is expected to provide an advantage for China in its ongoing competition .

Defying China: A powerful memoir of Tibetan resistance under Chinese rule

A Tibetan nun's memoir chronicles the persecution she faced under Chinese rule while giving voice to those still suffering in Tibet

India-China border trade via Lipulekh Pass to resume after 6 years

The first batch of 26 Indian traders is expected to enter the Chinese territory of Tibet through the Lipulekh pass on June 26, marking the resumption of border trade after a six-year hiatus, according to administrative sources in Dharchula. Ashish Joshi, Trade Officer and Dharchula Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), said that 26 trade passes have been issued, which include 17 traders and nine helpers. A customs office has also been opened at Gunji to facilitate the process. "We expect the first batch of Indian traders to reach Tibet on June 26, as they have already stored their goods in warehouses at villages near the Lipulekh pass," Joshi said. The administration has received applications from more than 103 traders and is currently planning to issue trade passes for a second batch of 25 traders shortly. To assist the traders, the administration has designated a spot near Nabhidhang for mules and horses to transport goods to the Lipulekh pass, which is located nearly 600 metres from

Border dispute with China arose after India recognised Tibet in 1954: CDS

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said the border dispute with China followed India's recognition of Tibet as part of the that country in 1954 with the signing of Panchsheel Agreement. The chief of defence staff (CDS) was delivering a lecture on 'Frontiers, Borders and LAC: The Middle Sector' under the India Himalayan International Strategic Forum think tank at Lok Bhavan here on Friday. Chauhan said, "In 1954, India officially recognised Tibet as part of China, the two countries signed the Panchsheel Agreement." Following the agreement, "India considered itself to have settled its northern border. This was the only area that we believed had not been settled through a formal treaty," he said. The CDS said that the legitimacy of this border for India was based on the Panchsheel Agreement, which it believed demarcated by identifying six passes -- Shipki La, Mana, Niti, Kungri Bingri, Darma and Lipulekh -- through which trade and pilgrimage would take place. He said, "Howev

Tremors felt in Kolkata after earthquake hits Myanmar, Bangladesh, Tibet

Earlier on Tuesday, an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck Myanmar at about 9:04 PM. It occurred at a depth of 27 km, making it susceptible to aftershocks

The monk who won Grammy: Dalai Lama's album 'Meditations' awarded

The 90-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader won his first Grammy for a spoken word album, drawing celebration from followers and sharp criticism from China