Key facts
- Tibetan advocacy groups allege China is concealing the true scale of a deadly flood disaster on its side of the Nepal border.
- Hundreds of homes are reportedly destroyed in Tibet, with casualty numbers potentially much higher than official Chinese figures.
- Chinese authorities have penalized individuals for sharing information about the disaster, citing "false disaster information".
- Nepal has reported over 900 deaths and more than 4,000 missing from the same event.
- Beijing denies censorship, stating its information release is transparent and timely.
Tibetan advocacy groups are questioning China's official account of a deadly flash flood that occurred along the Nepal-Tibet border, alleging that Beijing is concealing the true scale of the disaster on its side. The International Campaign for Tibet claims that hundreds of homes were destroyed and that casualty numbers are significantly higher than the 16 confirmed deaths and 546 missing reported by Chinese authorities.
Last week's floods, triggered by a glacier collapse, have devastated villages in Nepal, resulting in over 900 deaths and more than 4,000 missing. However, information emerging from the Tibetan side of the border is heavily restricted, making independent verification difficult. Tibetan advocacy groups cite sources indicating that approximately 300 homes were destroyed in villages like Sale, Serchung, Labi, and Rizi, with many people still unaccounted for.
Chinese authorities have reportedly penalized at least 10 individuals for sharing what they deem "false disaster information" or "disrupting online order." This includes instances where users disputed the official death toll, suggesting thousands were swept away. Maya Wang of Human Rights Watch noted that the Chinese government's "instinct is always to kind of control and to ensure the narrative." Questions have also been raised about whether the development of ecologically fragile valleys contributed to the disaster.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, stated on Monday that the release of information about the floods was transparent and timely, opposing "malicious smear campaigns" and "baseless and malicious speculation." He asserted that such actions do not align with popular sentiment. Despite these claims, some social media comments have questioned the lack of updates from the Chinese side compared to Nepal's reporting.