But witnesses say that of 75 trying to get to Nepal two weeks ago, only 41 made it
The Chinese authorities yesterday admitted killing at least one Tibetan and wounding another among a group of refugees who were trying to flee the country via a dangerous Himalayan pass into Nepal.
But China's border security guards only opened fire 'out of defence' after being attacked by around 70 Tibetan refugees who refused to heed an order to get back, according to a Xinhua report.
Two Tibetans were wounded in the shooting, with one dying from lack of oxygen at an altitude of 6,200 metres, while the other was being 'properly taken care of', Xinhua said, quoting authorities in Tibet .
The report did not reveal the identity of the dead or injured. According to a female refugee witness who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the victim was a 17-year-old nun named Kelsang Namtso. Another victim, Kunsang Namgyal, 20, was shot twice in the leg and arrested by Chinese troops, the refugee said.
The Xinhua report said: 'The initial investigation showed it's a premeditated case of large-scale human smuggling organised by snakeheads.'
