China has reportedly removed videos showing the scale of destruction caused by deadly flash floods in Tibet, even as journalists and residents tried to gather information from the affected areas. The reported censorship has raised questions over access to information from Tibet, where foreign media face significant restrictions. The floods, which struck areas along the Nepal-Tibet border, have killed at least 676 people in Nepal and Tibet, according to the latest figures cited in reports. Nearly 3,000 people are still missing.
Among the footage reportedly taken down from Chinese social media was a video showing a powerful mudslide sweeping across a border crossing in Gyirong County, Tibet, The New York Times reported.
Surveillance camera recordings have also circulated showing the destruction at Gyirong Port after the flooding. Chinese state media, however, reportedly used only a still image from the footage in its coverage, according to The Telegraph.
Limited information from Tibet
Residents in China have largely received information about the disaster through state-controlled media. Coverage has concentrated on rescue efforts and the deployment of emergency teams rather than providing extensive details about the destruction in the affected areas.
Chinese authorities have said military personnel and emergency workers were sent to the region. Drones and helicopters have also been deployed as part of the rescue operation.
The People’s Daily reported that President Xi Jinping had instructed authorities to make every effort to help people affected by the disaster in Gyirong.
Independent reporting from Tibet has been difficult. Foreign journalists face restrictions on travel in the region and have also encountered limitations when attempting to speak with residents by telephone. Those restrictions have made it difficult to establish independently how extensive the damage is on the Tibetan side of the border.
Questions over flood footage
Tibet remains one of China's most tightly controlled regions. The area has been under Chinese rule since the 1950s and continues to be politically sensitive for Beijing. Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London, told The Guardian that reporting from Tibet requires approval at the highest level.
He said Tibet is viewed through a national security lens, meaning information that has not received official clearance is unlikely to be published. The reported removal of flood footage has also drawn criticism from Nepalese politicians.
Rajendra Bajgain, a former member of Nepal's parliament, questioned why footage documenting the disaster would be removed. He said deleting material could make it harder for the public and journalists to establish what happened.
Nepal reports 669 deaths
Nepal has suffered the overwhelming majority of the reported deaths. According to the country's disaster authorities, 669 people have died and 2,426 remain missing. More than 3,700 people have been rescued so far.
China has reported seven deaths and more than 550 people missing on its side of the border.The disaster was triggered by a sudden surge of water along the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday. The US Geological Survey said the event was caused by the collapse of a glacier.
Rescue operations are continuing, while authorities and emergency teams search for those still unaccounted for. The large number of missing people means the death toll could rise further as rescue workers gain access to areas cut off by the floods and landslides.
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