The search for individuals caught in an avalanche on a Tibetan highway has concluded, with Chinese official media reporting at least 28 deaths.
On Tuesday evening, accumulating snow enveloped the exit of a tunnel in the south-eastern city of Nyingchi, trapping people inside their automobiles.
The avalanche was “caused by high gusts,” according to local rescuers.
It’s unclear how many people are still missing.
According to Global Times, quoting a local government official, 53 survivors were discovered, five of them were critically injured.
State-run According to Xinhua, local authorities dispatched 1,348 rescue workers and 236 pieces of equipment to assist in excavating a 7.5km tunnel (4.66 miles)
The avalanche buried a roadway connecting the town of Pai in Mainling County and Medog County in Tibet, a rural and predominantly Buddhist region in western China.
The mountain has an elevation of about 4,500 meters (14,764 feet), steep slopes, and a difficult road that goes along it.
Rising temperatures also had a role in the accident, according to experts from the local emergency response headquarters.
Avalanches are common in the Himalayas, which include the world’s highest mountains.
In October, a mountaineering expedition was hit in an avalanche on Mount Draupadi ka Danda-II in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand, killing at least 26 people.
