Twenty people were killed and eight were still missing after an avalanche in the city of Nyingchi in Tibet, state media reported on Friday.

Fifty-three survivors were found, five of whom were seriously injured, Global Times reported, citing a local government official in the western region.

The avalanche occurred on a section of road between Pai village in Mainling county and the exit of the Doxong La tunnel in Medog county on Tuesday evening, with people and vehicles stranded.

The region had dispatched 696 professional rescue workers, broadcaster CCTV reported.

"At present, the rescue work is still ongoing," it said, citing rescue authorities. (Reuters/AFP)