An avalanche causes at least eight deaths in Tibet, China

Jan. 19 (EUROPA PRESS) –

At least eight people have died after a snow avalanche in the Tibet Autonomous Region, while an unknown number of people are missing.

China’s Ministry of Emergency Management has sent a task force to the region, where more than 240 rescuers and 70 vehicles have worked to try to rescue the trapped people.

Authorities have urged to verify the number of stranded people and vehicles as soon as possible, strengthen monitoring of the situation and move people to a safe place to prevent secondary disasters, the Global Times newspaper reported.

The avalanche occurred on a stretch of road at the exit of a tunnel in Mainling County, around 7:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday.