Rescuers carrying relief items walk to the quake-hit Zham town of Xigaze city, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region. The town, one of the most seriously effected areas in Tibet, has been cut off for 70 hours due to landslides and avalanches. (Photo/CFP)
Thirty-two foreign tourists are waiting for evacuation from a Tibetan town in the earthquake-hit zone on the border with Nepal, a local tourism official said on Wednesday.[Special coverage]
When the 8.1-magnitude quake struck on Saturday, 39 tourists from nine tour groups were registered in Zham Town, an important customs checkpoint on the China-Nepal border.
All 39 are safe and have been contacted by regional tourism authorities, said Yuan Xiaorong, of the Tibet Tourism Bureau.
Rescuers will help evacuate those remaining in Zham, said the official.
Five Dutch tourists left Zham on the day of the quake. Two Belgians who were registered on tours did not enter Zham. The other tourists are from countries including the United States, Israel, Malaysia, France and Australia.
The quake has killed more than 5,000 in Nepal. In Tibet, 25 people were killed and four are missing.
Summer is peak season for tourism in Tibet, though large numbers still visit earlier in the year. Some 26,000 overseas nationals visited the Chinese autonomous region in the first five months of last year.
