Asked About Indian Reports ‘Blaming China’ For Nepal Floods, Beijing Rejects ‘Malicious Speculation’
New Delhi: Asked about Indian news reports ‘blaming China’ for the flash flooding near the Nepalese-Chinese border, Beijing said a glacier collapse caused the disaster and that it rejects any “malicious speculation that has no factual basis”.
A Bloomberg reporter asked the Chinese foreign ministry during its regular press briefing on Monday (August 31) for comment on some Indian TV channels ‘blaming’ China or its hydel and infrastructure projects for the disaster.
“Experts and official institutions of China and Nepal,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, have determined that the “collapse of a high-altitude glacier in Nepal” caused the floods of last week that have killed over 950 people.
He added: “In the face of tragic disasters, we reject malicious speculation that has no factual basis.”
Guo was also asked about allegations that Chinese authorities have understated the number of individuals who have died or gone missing due to the floods. “China has been open, transparent and timely in information release. Smear and disinformation is most unwelcome at a time of disaster response,” the spokesperson replied.
The collapse of part of a glacier near the Nepal-China border some 130 kilometres north of Kathmandu last Wednesday triggered catastrophic flooding in the region, with the death toll in both countries crossing 950 as of Monday night and the number of missing persons standing at over 4,400.
India's external affairs ministry had said on Saturday that 275 Indian nationals remain missing as a result of the disaster. On Monday night it said a total of 158 Indians have been rescued.
Rescue workers on Monday scrambled to free hundreds of workers believed to be trapped in tunnels at hydropower sites that were buried in mud due to the flooding. About 500 of those workers were believed to be trapped in tunnels.
Along the main affected river in Nepal, homes, vehicles and farm tractors jutted out from the thick gray-brown sediment that enveloped entire villages in some areas. Parts of rice terraces along the riverside had dropped into the river after landslides hit them.
With AP inputs.
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