Sometime today rescuers are expected to reach 16 members of an expedition who have been stranded since last weekend on a small island in Tibet.

The 16-member team consisting of 13 journalists, two drivers and a guide are stranded on an island 5,000 metres above sea level and 600 kilometres away from Ari in northwestern Tibet.

The group is in high spirits after being informed via satellite telephone that rescuers are on the way, sources with the sponsor of the expedition told China Daily yesterday.

The group was facing a severe shortage of drinking water after supply trucks got stuck in mud en route to the site on Saturday morning. However, they managed to recover some goods and water from one of the trapped trucks Sunday afternoon, said Ding Ming, general manager of Guiyang Laiguishan Wine Co, which sponsors the trip.

"The drinking water they have is enough to sustain them for two days and conditions are stable for the team members who have caught cold and got fever," Ding said.

"However, our major worry is that the rescue teams which are on the way might get lost on the way to the island, which is located in a mountainous area."

An army rescue team from nearby Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and another group of armed police from Ari are on the way. The two teams consist of nearly 50 persons and more than a dozen automobiles, said Ding.

The rescue teams started their journey early Sunday. The nearest highway is about 150 kilometres away from the island, with a vast expanse of swamp in between.

The site is too far away from the nearest helicopter supply station to accommodate a flight, officers with the Xinjiang Military Command said.

(China Daily September 24, 2003)