Quake-hit mountain pass reopens in Tibet

BEIJING: Gyirong Pass in Tibet, which was blocked by a major landslide following the April 25 earthquake in Nepal, has been reopened.

Chinese armed police removed 80 tonnes of rock blocking the road, making a narrow space for vehicles carrying quake relief goods to enter into the area, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Zham and Gyirong are the two passes that connect Tibet and Nepal.

The mountain pass at the Gyirong Land Checkpoint was one of the hardest hit in China during the earthquake and ensuing tremors.

Landslides cut off traffic through the pass and flattened the immigration and customs office on the Nepal side.

Xing Xiuyin, a police officer, said there are another 26 landslide sites on the road.

More than 300 policemen using 30 heavy machines are still working there to repair the road, the report said.