TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Chinese government has denied censoring videos of flash floods and mudslides at Gyirong Port in Xizang Autonomous Region, which borders Nepal.
"Intensive search, rescue and relief operations are still underway in an orderly manner in the disaster-hit areas. China has been open, transparent and timely in information release. Smear and disinformation is most unwelcome at a time of disaster response," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a press conference in Beijing on Monday.
The death toll from flash floods and mudslides that struck the Nepal-Tibet border has risen to at least 951, while nearly 4,800 people remain missing, including 853 foreigners, as of Monday, August 31, six days after the disaster.
Guo Jiakun said that on Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by phone with Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, explaining that in the face of this disaster, the two countries must stand firm together, join hands to overcome difficulties, and demonstrate their traditional friendship through concrete actions.
"The Chinese government has provided Nepal with emergency cash assistance and humanitarian aid. The first batch of 50 tons of relief supplies has already arrived in Kathmandu," Guo Jiakun added.
Two rescue teams consisting of Chinese tunnel rescue experts have also rushed to several disaster-affected areas in Nepal.
"We have also shared with the Nepali side important information such as images, satellite, and hydrological data of the disaster-affected areas, including early-warning information on an upstream barrier lake," Guo Jiakun added.
China, according to Guo Jiakun, is actively assisting stranded Nepalese citizens to return to Nepal as quickly as possible.
"As of noon yesterday, all Chinese nationals in Nepal’s disaster-hit areas, with whom contact has been reestablished, have been safely relocated. At present, China is making every effort to search for and rescue those unaccounted for both within the country and abroad," Guo Jiakun said.
At the same time, Guo Jiakun stated that China is maintaining close communication with foreign embassies to jointly identify missing foreign nationals and take appropriate follow-up measures.
He also emphasized that the floods and landslides were not caused by China's large-scale hydropower and infrastructure construction projects.
"We noted that experts and official institutions of China and Nepal have made some assessment on the cause of the disaster. According to their analysis, the mudslide was triggered by a collapse of a high-altitude glacier in Nepal. In the face of tragic disasters, we reject malicious speculation that has no factual basis," Guo Jiakun emphasized.
Following the disaster, Guo Jiakun said, China and Nepal have been communicating smoothly on search and rescue, information sharing, and secondary disaster prevention.
"We have been providing Nepal with meteorological and hydrological data, conducted consultation among experts, and shared early-warning information. China will continue giving strong support to Nepal in its relief efforts and strengthen cooperation with Nepal on disaster prevention and control for the shared benefit of both peoples," he said.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation Agency reported that 903 deaths have been confirmed in Nepal, with 4,247 people still missing, including 590 foreign nationals from 39 countries.
Among those missing on the Nepalese side are 25 Nepalese police personnel, 45 Nepalese army personnel, 13 Nepalese Armed Police Force personnel, 14 Nepalese Customs personnel, three Nepalese Immigration personnel, and 933 personnel assigned to various hydropower stations in Nepal.
There are also 127 Nepalese tourists among the missing.
On the Chinese side, 16 people have been confirmed dead and 546 are still missing, 261 of whom are foreign nationals in Gyirong County in southwest China's Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Province.
It is also reported that more than 10,000 people, including 323 foreign nationals, have been rescued following the disaster.
China has deployed more than 2,100 personnel for search and rescue operations, along with hundreds of vehicles and thousands of rescue equipment.
A flash flood struck on Wednesday, when a glacier on Mount Langtang Lirung, Nepal, cracked at an altitude of about 5,200 meters, triggering an avalanche of ice and rocks that grew into a massive debris flow and crashed into valleys along the border.
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