Reacting to headlines in The Guardian accusing China of concealing the scale of the August 26 mudslide, CGTN reporter Sun Tianyuan says he and his colleagues are reporting what they can verify on the ground, rather than relying on speculation.

Reporting from Gyirong County, Sun explains that the scale of the search operation and difficult conditions have made identifying victims a painstaking process. As the search continues and more information is confirmed, casualty figures can inevitably change.

"I think it's very important not to confuse changing numbers with an attempt to hide information," he said. "As journalists, our job is to report verified facts, not to turn unconfirmed information into headlines."