China raises Tibet flood death toll to 31, with 531 still missing

China has raised the number of people killed in a devastating flood in Tibet’s Gyirong county to 31, while 531 remain missing.

The emergency command overseeing the rescue operation said the figures, updated through 6 p.m. local time on Friday, represented 10 more deaths and 10 fewer missing people than the previous count released Wednesday. State media did not provide a new breakdown by nationality, although the earlier tally said 261 of the 541 missing people were foreigners.

Search teams have recovered 987 personal belongings in the affected area, up from 847 in the previous update. On Wednesday, emergency crews opened a land route to the main devastated zone after days of work complicated by destroyed roads, landslides and the risk of further disasters.

The flood struck on Aug. 26 after an ice and rock collapse in Nepal sent water, mud and debris across both sides of the border. The surge destroyed the crossing linking Nepal with Gyirong. Nepalese authorities on Friday raised their separate toll to 1,295 dead and 4,898 missing, including at least 618 foreigners. The combined figures from the two countries put the catastrophe at 1,326 deaths and 5,429 missing people.