Why China's censors are scrubbing videos of the Nepal-Tibet floods

When security camera footage emerged on Wednesday of a wave of ice, mud and water smashing into the Tibet region, people across the world were horrified.

The distressing vision showed the China-controlled Tibet border crossing into Nepal being completely wiped out , along with dozens of people running for their lives.

It was harrowing to watch and gave undeniable proof of the severity of the Himalayan border disaster.

But inside China the online video disappeared as quickly as it surfaced. Beijing's censors were at work.

China's control of information is well-documented and common, including inside Tibet, which has been under Beijing's control since the 1950s.

China's media only distributes state-approved messages, content and pictures, while communication channels inside the country, including peoples' social media, are heavily monitored.

Content that does not follow strict government regulations can be restricted or deleted by a team of censors, or by AI algorithms that flag "problematic" content.

Chinese authorities have provided scant detail of the people affected by in the Tibet region, only broadly confirming that 558 people were missing, including 260 foreign nationals. There was no breakdown of nationalities.

They have also not provided any specific information about the settlements and villages in the areas that have been affected.

The top news story on Thursday's prime time bulletin of the state-operated CCTV news was a piece on the launch of a new book by President Xi Jinping.

That story also led the front page of the country's most popular newspaper, People's Daily, on Friday.

At the bottom of the front page was an article about 800 metres of roads in the landslide-stricken areas having been reopened, with pictures of rescue teams.

Throughout the disaster, China's main state media coverage has mostly relayed information about the size of the rescue attempt.

In Nepal, where a flash flood from the same disaster has killed hundreds and left hundreds more missing, the flow of information could not be more different.