BEIJING, August 30. /TASS/. The death toll from a powerful landslide in the Tibet Autonomous Region in western China has risen to 16, the Gyirong County government said.

A local government spokesman said at a press conference that another 546 people remain missing. Earlier reports put the death toll at five, with 558 people missing.

The natural disaster struck northern Nepal on Wednesday morning. Preliminary data indicate that an avalanche at the Chinese border triggered the flooding, about 20 km northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing. A powerful torrent of rock swept more than 70 km along the riverbed at high speed, destroying nearby settlements and flooding a large area. Nepali authorities reported at least 675 deaths, with more than 2,400 people missing.