Emergency road-clearing efforts are underway in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, where the first batch of excavators reached the heart of the disaster zone near the mudslide-hit Gyirong Port on Monday evening.
The lead excavator forged a path across a flooded section of road before being followed across by several others. Once across, the machinery began operations in an area that previously served as the port's parking lot.
Rescue workers on the ground said the immediate priority is to stabilize and clear the inundated roadway, enabling more responders to reach the affected area on foot via a safer, more accessible route—rather than having to scale boulders along the flood's edge.
At the same time, crews are reinforcing the roadbed along the waterlogged stretch to allow additional vehicles and heavy equipment to pass, accelerating the ongoing search and rescue efforts.
The deadly mudslide on August 26, 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.
First excavators reach core disaster zone near mudslide-hit Xizang port
The death toll from the devastating mudslide in Nepal had risen to 1,093 as of 20:00 local time Tuesday, according to the latest figures released by the Nepal Police.
The disaster struck northern Nepal on Aug 26. The Nepalese government declared the region a disaster crisis zone for at least three months to facilitate resource deployment, strengthen personnel management, and accelerate post-disaster recovery efforts.
On Monday, a China Media Group (CMG) reporter flew by helicopter over the center of the devastation caused by the mudslide on the Nepalese side of the Gyirong-Rasuwa border crossing on the China-Nepal border.
Aerial footage shows that several villages and towns on the Nepalese side of Gyirong-Rasuwa Port had been wiped out, with numerous transit vehicles and buildings sunk deep in the mud. The reporter said that in the once-bustling town of Syabrubesi, less than 10 kilometers in a straight line from the port, the only people that could be seen were search and rescue personnel.
According to preliminary estimates, around 250 to 300 residential buildings in the town were destroyed by the mudslide, while in Betrawati, 40 kilometers from the port, some 300 houses were also damaged.
Nepal mudslide death toll rises to 1,093
