A rapid, chain-like mudslide caused by a high-altitude glacier collapse on the Nepali side impacted Gyirong Port on Aug. 26. Gyirong Port lies on the China-Nepal border within southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. The slide caused numerous deaths and many people remain unaccounted for, according to regional authorities.
Casualties and Missing Persons
Sixteen deaths have been officially confirmed, and 546 people are still listed as missing as of 6 p.m. Saturday, the government stated.
A joint search and verification process involved foreign affairs, public security, culture and tourism, and emergency management departments. The process identified 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries as unaccounted for after the mudslide. The regional information office announced the figure on Sunday morning at a press conference.
Rescue Efforts and Infrastructure
Chinese rescue teams immediately launched a full-scale operation to access the port area and locate the missing. A total of 2,141 rescuers participated in the mission. This was reported in an early Saturday morning update from the regional emergency management department.
Excavators are actively working to fix a key road that will allow access to the port. They have restored 2.6 km of the road section. A remaining 1.7 km must be completed before the port can be reached. The expected arrival time is approximately 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Local traffic police issued a notice on Saturday that immediately bans all civilian vehicles and personnel from traveling to Gyirong Township.
The notice further states that only special-purpose vehicles with valid permits, specifically authorized for emergency rescue, disaster relief, or material support, are allowed to pass, with these restrictions remaining in effect until further notice.
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International Cooperation
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated during his phone conversation with Nepali Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on Saturday that China places high priority on the disaster, noting the heavy casualties and missing persons in Nepal. Wang emphasized that while urgently conducting rescue and relief efforts domestically, China has provided assistance at the earliest opportunity to support Nepal’s emergency disaster relief operations.
In response to a request from the Nepali government, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched five tunnel experts to Nepal on Saturday to aid in rescue operations at a hydropower plant tunnel.
Technical and Data Support
The China Meteorological Administration deployed three sets of portable automatic weather stations on Saturday. They provide specific weather support for road restoration, search and rescue missions, drone operations, and barrier lake surveying.
The National Cryosphere Desert Data Center has provided 53 service datasets, totaling roughly 85 GB in volume, for use by relevant emergency response, rescue, and research institutions.
The National Earth Observation Data Center compiled remote sensing data from civilian and commercial satellites. The total volume exceeds 20 GB. These data are provided to assist with post-disaster road damage assessment, building collapse identification, and secondary disaster monitoring.
Rescuers have deployed 269 rescue vehicles and 3,922 sets of equipment to the affected areas, searching a region of approximately 90,000 square meters, according to a photo released by Xinhua.