Avalanche leaves 7 missing in Tibet

SEVEN of 14 people were missing after an avalanche in Tibet on Monday, Xinhua News agency reported today.

The avalanche occurred at Gawalong Mountain, the interface of Bomi County and Motuo County in the Tibet Autonomous Region and trapped 14 migrant workers heading to Motuo on foot.

Seven escaped, the report said.

A total of 29 people from Sichuan Province were on a bus to Motuo, but it broke down after 24 kilometers. The passengers continued their journey on foot. As they were 20 meters from the peak of Gawalong Mountain, the avalanche hit 14 people, said Li Shunhong in the report, one of the bus passengers who called for help after the avalanche.

The Tibetan government has launched an emergency rescue plan to find the missing people, said the report.