![]() Captured survivors and Chinese border guards at the advanced base camp in Cho Oyu | |
Date | 30 September 2006 |
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Time | 10:30 AM |
Location | Nangpa La, Tibet, China |
Coordinates | 28°6′27.8″N 86°35′17.5″E / 28.107722°N 86.588194°E |
Type | Shooting of civilian by border guard |
First reporter | MountEverest.net |
Deaths | 1 (Kelsang Namtso) |
Non-fatal injuries | A few (unknown number) |
Arrests | 32 |
The Nangpa La shooting incident occurred on 30 September 2006 when a group of unarmed Tibetan refugees attempting to flee Tibet via the Nangpa La pass were fired upon by Chinese border guards.[1] The shooting resulted in at least one death and numerous injuries.[1] The victims were shot from a distance by border guards as they moved slowly through chest-deep snow. Although the Chinese government initially denied the shooting, the death of one of the refugees was captured on film by a Romanian cameraman Sergiu Matei, who was nearby as part of a climbing expedition.[2][3] The video caused expressions of anger from around the world.[4]
Forty-one members of the Tibetan group reached India, while the other thirty-two living members were taken into custody by Chinese border guards. Most of the refugees were later released, although some are still unaccounted for. Some of the individuals who were released stated that they suffered torture and forced hard labor during their captivity.[1][5]