Xizang official details safety inspections, risk monitoring of mudslide site

China

Xizang official details safety inspections, risk monitoring of mudslide site

2026-08-30 09:58 Last Updated At：14:17

Monitoring efforts moblizing professional teams, satellites and radars are underway to monior the mudslide site and its surrounding areas in China's Xizang, said a local official on Sunday, noting that no potential risks have been found after the latest thorough inspection there.

On Wednesday, a fast-moving chain mudslide occured in the neighboring country of Nepal and then struck Gyirong Port, a major land border crossing in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. It has so far left 16 people dead and 546 others missing at the port.

Satellite imagery and analysis by Chinese geological experts suggest that a high-altitude glacier collapsed in Nepal, triggering the devastating mudslide. Speaking at a press briefing, Gama Cedain, commander of the emergency rescue headquarters for the Gyirong mudslide response, detailed the risk monitoring operations at the mudslide site.

"We have organized personnel to inspect five administrative villages and 236 buildings in threatened areas, and no potential risks or hidden dangers have been found at present. At the same time, we are monitoring rainfall, water conditions, and changes in the surface area of glacial lakes in the affected area and surrounding regions. Observation posts have been set up to monitor two barrier lakes. And we are using satellite remote sensing, slope radar, hydrological monitoring, and video surveillance to conduct real-time monitoring of the barrier-lake dams and river channels. At present, the barrier-lake dams are relatively stable," said Gama Cedain, concurrently deputy secretary of the Xizang regional committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the people's government of Xizang Autonomous Region.

"A total of 86 specialists from sectors, including the natural resources, have been deployed into the affected area and key zones where secondary geological hazards may occur to strengthen hazard inspections, strictly prevent new disasters and cascading secondary disasters, and ensure the safety of the public and rescue personnel," added the official.

EU, Russia differ over European participation in upcoming Ukraine talks

The European Union will participate in this week's Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday, while the Kremlin insisted that the negotiations would be joined by Russia, Ukraine and the United States, without European officials.

Von der Leyen said on social media X that she had a "good call" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of the talks, adding that the EU would be present alongside its partners. Zelensky said on X that the two had coordinated their positions ahead of the meeting and were working to "ensure that the trilateral format delivered results."

However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that the talks, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, would involve only Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. delegations. He noted that Ukraine and the United States each had separate channels of communication with European counterparts, according to Russia's Sputnik.

Von der Leyen also reiterated support for Zelensky's call for a ceasefire covering food and energy infrastructure and said "freedom of navigation in the Black Sea must be restored and preserved" amid growing security threats in the region.

The Abu Dhabi talks, to be mediated by the United States, are expected to focus on ending the conflict, post-war security arrangements and de-escalation.