Rescuers stepped up efforts to reopen a major highway leading to the mudslide-stricken Gyirong Port in southwest China's Xizang.
The deadly mudslide, which was triggered by the collapse of a high-altitude glacier on the Nepalese side, has left at least 16 people dead and 546 others missing in Gyirong, according to the regional government.
The G216, a national highway leading to the port, has been partially damaged by the mudslide.
In Xinjiang Village of Gyirong County, over 100 workers from China Railway Group Limited are racing against time to fill gabion baskets with stones. "In accordance with the unified deployment of the on-site disaster rescue and relief headquarters, the main tasks at this stage are to guarantee material supply, make steel-reinforced gabion baskets, and conduct basic supporting work including quarrying and stockpiling of raw materials," said Liu Mingyuan, commander of the Xizang Engineering Headquarters under the China Railway Construction Engineering Group.
Upon completion, the gabion baskets will be transported to the disaster-affected areas. At certain complex road sections, steel-reinforced gabion baskets and large boulders will be placed into the torrential river to form a more robust foundation for the road structure.
During the clearance operation on the damaged section of the G216 highway, rescuers from the state-owned China Anneng Construction Group for the first time deployed rope-ladder type emergency escape passages on site on Monday. Together with multiple hazard shelters, the setup enhances safety guarantees for rescue personnel against sudden flash floods, mudslides and other emergencies.
At around 11:00 on Monday, rescuers had laid three rope ladders, with a total length of about 180 meters.
In case of a sudden water level rise or any other dangerous situation such as a mudslide, the rescue personnel can quickly evacuate to a safe shelter point via the pre-set rope ladders.
China Anneng deployed 158 emergency response personnel and 28 sets of equipment, including excavators and loaders, to repair the highway in relay operations.
The G216 highway had been restored to within 1.1 kilometers of the port as of Monday noon, rescuers from China Anneng Group said.
Rescuers race to reopen highway to mudslide-hit border port in Xizang
