Three people trapped in Yarlung Tsangpo River Canyon in west China's Tibet autonomous region will be rescued as soon as May 16, a rescuer announced Wednesday.

"According to our analysis of the landform and the rescue process, the three people trapped by an avalanche in the canyon will be rescued as early as May 16," said Yang Bo, head of the rescue headquarters as well as deputy head of Mainling county.

Sun Huitao and Wei Feng, a pair of tourists from central China's Henan Province, entered the canyon at 11 a.m. on April 19 with five local residents of Mainling County without permission, according to the county government.

An avalanche occurred there at 3 p.m. on April 30, leaving two dead and injuring another two people, the county government said.

Sun managed to escape the avalanche, made his way back to town with a local resident from his group and reported the incident on May 4.

Sun said two injured people and another man were staying in a tent when he left, and they had enough food to survive for about 10 days.

The rescue headquarters has dispatched three rescue groups, or a total of 66 people, to conduct rescue efforts since May 4. But rough land formations and severe weather have hampered rescue efforts, said Yang.

"Although there are challenges and difficulties, we will make every effort to ensure the safety of the rescuers and rescue the trapped," Yang said.

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