Seven people are missing and one person was injured in a recent extensive snowslide in Medog County, in the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, the only county in the nation that has no road link to the outside, according to official information from this capital of the Region.

The snowslide occurred Dec. 3 on Mount Suila, at an elevation of around 4,400 meters. About 34 local residents from Medog were on their way to buy daily commodities in neighboring Bomi County, when the snowslide struck them.

Twenty-six of the travelers reached safety in Bomi.

Because of the remote location of the disaster site, the government of Medog County did not learn about the accident until Dec. 7, and launched rescue work immediately. Rescue operations organized by Medog and Nyingchi Prefecture are still underway.

Local residents, government officials and soldiers have been mobilized for the rescue work.

Continuing rain and snow in the Mount Suila area make further snowslides a possibility.

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2003)