9 People, 100 Yaks, 350 Sheep Killed in Large Avalanche in Tibet on Sunday

Nine people, 100 yaks, and 350 sheep were killed in a large avalanche in Western Tibet on Sunday according to Chinese state media.

The people killed were all residents of Dungru in Ngari prefecture that lies 620 miles west of Tibet’s capital city Lhasa.  All 9 of the people killed were sheep herders.

Dungru sits at over 15,000 feet, is very remote, and is consists primarily of farms and pasture lands.

China’s official Xinhua News Agency said that the avalanche was 26-feet deep.  Xinhua also stated that new cracks were seen in local glaciers in the region threatening further avalanches.

Tibet’s glaciers are melting rapidly due to rising global temperatures.  Tibet’s large glaciers are the source of many of Asia’s largest rivers including the Yellow river, the Yangtze river, the Irrawady river, and the Mekong river.