China Exerts Tight Grip on Information After Floods
Authorities have updated the toll only every few days and detained or fined at least 10 people for questioning the official account.
- Deadly flash floods along the China-Nepal border have killed more than 1,000 people or left them missing. Late Friday, China raised the death toll to 31, with 531 people remaining unaccounted for in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
- Nepal has allowed journalists to report from disaster sites and published continuous updates, while China restricted access to rescue areas to only Xinhua News and CCTV. This disparity reflects broader information control patterns.
- Chinese authorities have broadcast efforts to punish those questioning official narratives, with police detaining individuals for "spreading rumors online." Punishments included up to 10 days in detention and fines of $150.
- While state media focuses on official heroics and avoids naming the missing, independent outlet Aquarian interviewed relatives of missing victims, including Peng Guangming, a worker on a Chinese-supported highway project.
- The disaster highlights China's tight grip on information, a pattern evident after a July typhoon in Guangxi where authorities waited over a month to update the death toll from 39 to 159.
22 Articles
22 Articles
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The death toll from devastating flash floods in Nepal and China rose to 1,280 as of Thursday (September 3, 2026), while more than 5,620 people remain missing in relief operations.
The Nepalese government has decided to hold a national day of mourning on September 7th to commemorate those who died in the devastating flash floods on August 26th.
According to statistics as of September 4, Vietnam time, at least 1,259 people had been killed and more than 5,000 were still missing on the Nepalese side. Meanwhile, China says 21 people are damaged.Floods in Nepal and China: Challenges in rescuing survivors Floods in Nepal and China: Focus on psychological support after disasterLandslides in Nepal and China: Nepal Prime Minister calls for action on climate
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