A 30-member rescue team set out on an arduous trek in mountains on Friday morning to reach the hardest-hit areas of the mudslide that has left three people dead and hundreds others missing after hitting the China-Nepal border port of Gyirong in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Wednesday.
The team, comprising firefighters from Xizang and neighboring Sichuan Province, departed before dawn from a village five or six kilometers away from the port, carrying sniffer dogs and light equipment such as shovels, pickaxes and life detectors, as they had to trek in the wild for more than five hours.
The mudslide originating on Nepal's side of the border struck the Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, Xizang, on Wednesday morning. As of 08:00 on Thursday, three people had been killed, 558 others remained missing, while two local villagers had been rescued.
The first team of 141 rescuers arrived at the port on Thursday morning, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.
Helicopters, drones and satellites have also joined the search and rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, road repairing is underway to enable large machinery to enter the worst-hit areas as soon as possible, and the restoration of communications and power supply facilities is making phased progress.
A total of 499 villagers and construction workers evacuated from the disaster areas have all been properly accommodated. Meanwhile, 555 affected tourists were evacuated and transferred under the coordination of cultural and tourism authorities. No tourists remain stranded.
Civil aviation authorities have also joined the rescue efforts. As of 15:00 Thursday, civil aviation services had transported 324 rescue personnel and delivered 24 tons of rescue equipment, daily necessities and medical supplies to the disaster-hit areas, providing support for emergency response and the evacuation of affected residents.
Rescue team treks through jungle to mudslide-hit inland port in Xizang
Rescue team treks through jungle to mudslide-hit inland port in Xizang
Rescue team trek through jungle to mudslide-hit inland port in Xizang
Rescue operations have been halted at mudslide-hit Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, over a potentially catastrophic barrier-lake breach that threatens to trigger secondary floods and mudslides.
At around 10:30 on Wednesday, a catastrophic mudslide on Nepal's side of the border caused heavy casualties and left a large number of people missing at the border port.
As of 15:00 on Friday, five people had been confirmed dead, and 558 remained missing, according to data from Chinese authorities.
Multiple rescue forces were dispatched to the disaster-hit area immediately after the mudslide. Armed police troops tasked with road clearance advanced to a section of the G216 National Highway, about two to three kilometers away from Gyirong Port, on Friday morning.
However, all rescue operations were suspended because a barrier lake formed after the devastating mudslide poses a high risk of breaching as water continues to flow in.
Aerial footage showed the dangerous barrier lake near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers, with its water volume estimated at 2.5 million cubic meters. Loose, sliding rock masses are visible on both banks.
"My current location is 2.5 kilometers from the Gyirong Port. This area was severely blocked by the mudslide on the previous day. We had originally planned to begin dredging operations today for search and rescue. However, due to flood alerts for the Donglin Zangbo River and the potential risk of a further barrier lake breach, we have suspended all on-site operations to conduct further assessments," said Xu Xingguo, a soldier from a border defense regiment.
Before suspending operations, local authorities completed comprehensive emergency evacuation and resettlement work. A total of 499 villagers and construction personnel from five disaster-threatened villages in Xigaze have been safely relocated.
In addition, all 555 tourists previously staying in Gyirong Town have been evacuated.
A full range of emergency supplies has also been delivered to Gyirong Town to support disaster relief and ensure basic living conditions for the affected people. The supplies include staple foods such as highland barley, rice and flour, cooking oil and drinking water, as well as tents, folding beds, quilts, stoves, generators and other disaster-rescue equipment and daily necessities.
To support post-disaster relief and assistance, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions has allocated 4 million yuan (around 595,260 U.S. dollars) in emergency funds to console affected residents, frontline rescuers and workers, and to support ongoing rescue operations and post-disaster recovery work.
Rescue operations halted at Xizang's Gyirong Port over barrier lake breach risk
