China confirms 20 dead in Tibet after Nepal earthquake

BEIJING: At least 20 people were killed in Tibet by the earthquake centred in Nepal at the weekend, Chinese news reports said Monday.
Another 58 people were injured and four remained missing in south-western China's autonomous region of Tibet, the state-owned Xinhua news agency reported, citing the regional disaster relief headquarters.
Around 2,500 people were killed in the quake that struck Nepal on Saturday, authorities said.
Thousands more were left homeless, with the 15 temporary camps erected by authorities already overflowing.
The highway crossing the border into China via the Zham Pass was cut by landslides, Xinhua said. The city of Xigaze was the worst hit in Tibet, it said.
More than 400 mountaineers from 20 countries were descending from the Tibetan side of Mount Everest, known in China as Mount Qomolangma, to the north base camp, with no casualties reported, it said.
The Ministry of Transport in Beijing had allocated 10 million yuan (US$1.6 million, RM5.71 million) to Tibet for reparation.
China also sent 58 medical staff to Nepal to help early Monday, it said.
Officials of the Tibet region on Sunday promised Nepal 6 million yuan (US$967,000) in aid. – dpa