Families of foreign nationals missing following a catastrophic mudslide along the Tibet-Nepal border are pressing Beijing for information, alleging a severe information blackout ten days after the disaster. According to Reuters reporting, the disaster has left more than 1,300 people dead across both sides of the border, with thousands more unaccounted for.
Missing Foreign Nationals and Family Frustrations
Among the missing is Priyanka Choudhary, an Indian-born Finnish citizen who was returning from a Hindu pilgrimage in Tibet when the mudslide struck a border crossing with Nepal, as reported by Reuters. Her brother, Tarun, expressed deep frustration with the response from Chinese authorities. According to Tarun Choudhary, families have received no updates regarding the situation at Ground Zero or the safety of their relatives. Similarly, Naresh Goyal, brother of 51-year-old British national Neetu Goyal Tiwari, told Reuters that families are receiving no clarity on whether their missing relatives are alive or dead.
Contrasting Responses Between China and Nepal
According to reports from Reuters, the information environment contrasts sharply between the two sides of the disaster zone. In Nepal, authorities and police regularly update the public regarding missing and dead individuals via social media alongside active DNA testing efforts. Conversely, families in countries like the United Kingdom report that domestic police have visited family homes—such as that of Neetu Goyal Tiwari—to collect DNA samples from relatives to submit to Chinese authorities.
State news agency Xinhua reported on September 4 that at least 31 people were confirmed dead and 531 remained missing on the Tibetan side. Meanwhile, Reuters noted that a total of 261 foreign nationals remain missing in Tibet specifically.
Diplomatic Briefings and Unanswered Questions
China’s foreign ministry stated that its dissemination of information concerning the floods has been “transparent and timely,” according to Reuters. Beijing also reported holding briefings for embassies representing 23 countries and deploying DNA identification experts to Nepal, which sustained heavier damage.
However, diplomats who attended a briefing called by China last week for countries with missing citizens reported that Beijing shared no concrete operational details regarding its plans for victim identification through DNA. Furthermore, diplomats in contact with China’s foreign ministry—speaking anonymously because private conversations were involved—noted that Beijing has not offered to supply video footage or facial-recognition imagery from its side of the land port to assist families or authorities in identifying victims.
Reuters stated that China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the allegations of an information blackout, the timeline for victim identification, or the specific DNA collection protocols currently deployed on the Tibetan side.
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