Beijing has been censoring coverage of the Nepal-Tibet flooding disaster and preventing its citizens seeing the scale of the devastation.
When the deadly ‘tsunami from the sky’ cascaded down the Trisuli River on Wednesday, footage showing the muddy deluge washing away settlements in seconds went viral on social media.
One of the first clips to emerge showed the annihilation of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing in Gyirong, located at one end of Friendship Bridge on the border between Nepal and Tibet.
CCTV footage showed people running for their lives before the wave, said to be hundreds of feet high in places, washed through the narrow valley and destroying everything in its wake.
But despite the destruction also hitting Tibet, an autonomous region within mainland China, many Chinese nationals could be forgiven for being completely unaware of the tragedy.
Only one single picture of the flash floods or subsequent mudslides has been shown by state media, and social media in the nation contains almost no images of it either.
China has so far said it has recovered just seven bodies and identified more than 500 people missing, compared to Nepal’s 668 confirmed deaths and 2,426 missing.
Although Beijing has sent many rescue teams to the region, which has a long history of protesting against Chinese Communist Party rule, almost nothing is known about the true situation on the ground.
Beijing has been censoring coverage of the Nepal-Tibet flooding disaster and preventing its citizens seeing the scale of the devastation
China has sent rescue teams to areas of Tibet impacted by the disaster, but has allowed no footage and barely any images of the flood to be shown
Members of the Tibet Fire and Rescue Team conduct search and rescue operations along the Gyirong Zangbo River on Saturday
Rescuers carry out search and rescue operations at the mudslide-hit area in Gyirong County on Saturday
Surveillance camera footage from the worst-hit Gyirong border crossing complex showed huge torrents of water and debris engulfing buildings and people trying to flee.
Only on Friday were rescuers able to reach that area. State media reported that the Chinese team of 21 rescuers and a search-and-rescue dog crossed mountains and valleys and used ropes to navigate forests and cliffs after roads to the complex, hemmed in by steep Himalayan slopes, were destroyed.
‘There was no road… it was all virgin forest and sheer cliffs,’ rescue worker Zou Mingqi said. At the complex, ‘as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but ruins.’
Footage was shared of Chinese rescuers walking along a muddy riverbank this week calling out to survivors, and state media has shared daily death and missing tolls.
But no accounts from those found alive or images of rescues, or even the devastation left behind, are available either inside or outside China.
Journalists have also not been able to access the region. Tibet is one of the most tightly censored regions of the world’s most populated country, which has long been accused of human rights violations there.
Any journalist must request permission to enter Tibet and entry is far from guaranteed.
By contrast, the distressing images and updates from Nepal just keep coming, with the number of deaths expected to rise significantly as rescue efforts continue.
CCTV footage shows people running away as a wall of mud and water destroys buildings at Rasuwagadhi border crossing, August 26, 2026
Rasuwagadhi border crossing, located at one end of Friendship Bridge on the border between Nepal and Tibet, is pictured in April 2024
In images taken this week at the crossing, the buildings and bridge have been utterly destroyed, with rescuers on the ground saying there is ‘nothing but ruins’ to be seen there
One video shows the moment the Bhote Koshi river swells up and overflows, as the current knocks down the homes surrounding it
The torrent tossed busses and cars into the air and smashed through a car park barrier as it tore through the site in apocalyptic scenes
In Beijing, a Politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping reportedly called for stronger monitoring of glacier lakes and landslide risks, and for closer international disaster co-operation.
It is thought that the disaster was sparked by a glacial collapse.
China’s Premier Li Qiang, the country’s No2 official, arrived in the area of Gyirong on Thursday afternoon, news agency Xinhua said. The visit suggested Beijing was treating the disaster as a matter of the highest national priority.
The Gyirong border port has a key role in China’s Belt and Road network linking the country to South Asia, with logistics zones and parking lots built there in the past decade.
It is also a crucial landmark for pilgrims seeking access to the Langtang valley and tourists out trekking. Many of the more than 540 missing foreign nationals are feared to have been in the area at the time of the floods.
Some 33 British nationals are known to be missing in the region, including 13-year-old Syna Sahu and a 14-year-old boy.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said: ‘The scenes from Nepal are devastating, and our thoughts remain with everyone affected.
‘The safety and welfare of British nationals is our top priority. That is why we are deploying a Rapid Deployment Team to Nepal to provide additional support on the ground for British nationals and their families at what is an incredibly difficult time.
‘Our staff are working closely with the Nepali authorities, emergency responders and our embassy in Kathmandu to ensure those affected can access the assistance and information they need.
‘We will continue to do everything we can to support British nationals impacted by this tragedy.’
The UK’s £5million support package will support Nepal’s response efforts, including a combination of UN, Red Cross and NGO interventions.
