Over 130 people stranded as storms hit China's Tibetan border with Nepal

Sections of major highway leading to the Tibetan town Zhentang washed away by floods or blocked by landslides

BEIJING:

More than 130 people including tourists were trapped in Tibet near China's rugged Himalayan border with Nepal on Wednesday after incessant rains unleashed landslides and floods, severing road links, according to Chinese state media.

Many sections of a major highway leading to the remote Tibetan town of Zhentang were either washed away by floods or blocked by landslides amid continuous rainfall since Sunday, Chinese state media reported.

So far, 342 stranded people have been evacuated to other towns by rescuers.

But at least 130 including tourists are still stranded in the vicinity of Zhentang, which lies at an altitude of about 2,000 metres (6,562 feet), due to blocked roads, rains, and "a lack of physical strength" because of the long distances that the stranded would need to traverse, according to state media.

Storms in the area through Thursday will create "a degree of difficulty" in rescue work, state media warned.

Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected in southwest China including parts of Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan, according to national weather forecasters.