Information flow restricted following flood disaster on China-Nepal border

In the devastating flood disaster that occurred over a week ago on the China-Nepal border, more than a thousand people have lost their lives in total, while over four thousand five hundred people have been reported missing. While the Nepali side is conducting a transparent process and sharing lists of the missing, the Chinese administration is restricting access to affected areas in Tibet, allowing only state media to report on the situation.

Transparency gap in the region

While the Nepali government has been providing regular updates and allowing journalists to enter the region following the disaster, the situation on the Chinese side is unfolding quite differently. Chinese authorities have limited access to disaster zones in Tibet to state-run agencies such as Xinhua and CCTV.

Pressure regarding official figures

Chinese authorities have detained or fined at least 10 individuals who questioned official death tolls on social media. As of Friday, China reported 31 deaths and 531 missing in Tibet, figures that are considered controversial by independent sources.

Families' search for information

Outside of state-controlled channels, independent foreign media outlets have begun documenting the stories of the families of the missing. Families of missing individuals such as Peng Guangming and He Hongrong are attempting to reach information about their loved ones by looking beyond official channels.