At around 11 AM on July 17, 2016, nine people, 350 sheep and 110 yaks were buried in an avalanche about from Rutog Town (at ). The avalanche fell on a grazing area and the snow was as much as deep. The local government dispatched rescuers and equipment to the site of the avalanche. The avalanche was described by NASA as one of the largest avalanches in history. On September 21, 2016, another similarly large avalanche occurred just to the south.