Reported by: Tibet Times

Translated By TenGyal

The Chinese authorities have prohibited Tibetan businessmen and voluntary aid workers from travelling directly to the areas affected by the recent flood and landslides.

On August 26, as landslides and floods struck Kyirong in the Shigatse region near the Tibet-Nepal border and Rasuwa in Nepal, the Chinese government initially reported 3 dead and 265 missing. Authorities later adjusted these numbers to 5 dead and 558 missing, then to 16 dead and 546 missing, before placing the current death toll at 21 fatalities. However, after a short video showing people fleeing with children in their arms in the period leading up to the disaster circulated on WeChat, authorities promptly censored and deleted it from the platform. Since then, authorities have imposed strict, wide-ranging surveillance and heavy restrictions across the region.