China Punishes 10 People Over Alleged False Information About Deadly Landslide

China has punished 10 people accused of spreading online rumors about the scale of a deadly landslide near the Nepal border, as rescuers continued searching for missing people.

The penalties, which could range from fines to 10 days in detention, came after a disaster sent a destructive wall of water across parts of Nepal and Chinese-administered Tibet. China’s Ministry of Public Security said the individuals claimed the number of dead or missing was far higher than official figures.

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News reports said 1,400 people had died, but 3,000 missing people had previously been reported.

One person, identified by the surname Qiu, posted that news reports had counted 1,400 deaths while 3,000 people had previously been reported missing. Another person, identified as Liu, claimed that more than 3,000 people had died in the landslide in China. Authorities did not say which punishment each person received.

Nepal’s disaster management authority reported at least 903 deaths and 4,247 missing people after the flooding. In Chinese-administered Tibet, 16 people died and 546 remained missing. Chinese state media said the landslide flattened about 0.7 square kilometers, an area roughly equivalent to 98 football fields.

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More than 3,000 people died in the landslide in China.