International journalists visit mudslide-hit Gyirong

China on Monday said it had invited foreign journalists to visit the mudslide-hit areas of Gyirong in the Xizang autonomous region to learn about rescue efforts and reconstruction progress in response to the international media's close attention to reporting on the debris flow disaster.

The visit came after round-the-clock repair work had initially reopened the roads to the disaster zone, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing.

China had invited journalists from eight foreign media outlets, including NBC, CNN, Reuters, RT and the Press Trust of India, to enter the hardest-hit areas to learn about rescue and reconstruction progress, Mao said. They also attended a news conference held by the regional government, she added.

As reports from these journalists have been released, Mao said, "China will continue to make every effort to carry out search-and-rescue operations and handling of the aftermath, and release the latest information on the disaster and rescue operations in a timely manner."