CRI听力:Road to Tibetan Town Isolated by Earthquake Now Passable

Crews in Tibet have now cleared the only highway leading to the border town of Zham.

This is where thousands of people have been trapped following Saturday's devastating earthquake in neighboring Nepal.

Over a dozen sections of the 37-kilometer highway linking Zham with Nyalam county had been blocked by multiple landslides.

This is allowing relief materials to begin moving through to assist the 6 thousand people who have been trapped in Zham.

The community has been facing a shortage of supplies, including food, water and shelter.

China National Radio reporter Tsering Puncog says he's been in contact with his sister in Zham.

"She told me that they've been properly settled by the government and all are fine. They are expecting the road to Nyalam to be reopened soon so that the injured, as well as the seniors, students and children will be moved to Nyalam."

It's being reported around 80 percent of the houses in Zham have been damaged, leaving some 35 hundred people without shelter.

Aftershocks, rain and snow remain a major concern.

At the same time, rescuers are continuing to clear roads and comb through the rubble across 19 other Tibetan counties affected by the quake.

In Gyirong county, officials are closely monitoring a landslide-triggered barrier lake.

Chu Minghua with the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters says they believe the lake does not pose an immediate danger.

"The Gyirong land port is only three kilometers away from the barrier lake. Some 160 people downstream have been affected and are preparing to be relocated. But according to what we have learned, the water in the lake has been decreasing and the situation is improving."

Saturday's quake toppled more than 2,500 houses in different parts of southern Tibet.

The death toll in the region stands at 25, with 4 still missing.

More than 22 thousand people have been mobilized to help with disaster relief.