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Deaths of 13 Tibetans in monastery collapse

Tibetans from three generations of one family and ten other Tibetans were killed when part of a two to three hundred year-old monastery in Kardze (Chinese Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province collapsed during renovation work on 6 September. Thirteen Tibetans - three monks and ten laypersons - were killed and three seriously injured following the collapse of the meeting hall of Mongyal (sMonrgyal) monastery, a Bon monastery in Dege county, which is part of the traditional Tibetan area of Kham. The Tibetans who died included 78-year old Palo, his 48-year old daughter and 34-year old grandson. Children from three families were orphaned following the deaths of their parents in the collapse. The Tibetans who died were among hundreds of local people who had been working at different stages on renovation of the old buildings of the monastery.

Phuntsog Wangyal, director of the London-based Tibet Foundation, which carries out relief work in the area, said "According to information we have received from the region, these villagers were enthusiastically working on the renovation of their local monastery, which had suffered badly from neglect during the Cultural Revolution when it was used as a meeting hall for local work groups. We were told that the villagers were carrying out the work themselves because they could not afford to bring in any technical expertise, such as engineers. While many of them were working inside the building, the entire meeting hall collapsed."

Phuntsog Wangyal said that the Tibet Foundation was appealing for funds to support families bereaved by the incident. The official Chinese news agency Xinhua, which reported the deaths in a statement on 8 September without giving the name of the monastery, stated that the monastery had "been in a dangerous condition owing to chronic lack of maintenance. The main pillars had grown rotten and the roof leaked during the rainy season."