GYIRONG, Xizang, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The death toll had risen to five and 558 people remained missing as of 3 p.m. on Friday after a mudslide struck the Gyirong Port along the China-Nepal border in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, according to the region's emergency management department.
At about 4:30 p.m. on Friday, a six-member team from the Xizang Fire and Rescue Corps and a group of 15 members with a search dog from the Sichuan Fire and Rescue Corps arrived at the disaster-hit area of the Gyirong Port, becoming the first professional rescue teams to reach the core rescue area, the National Fire and Rescue Administration said.
As of 10 a.m. on Friday, a total of 681 fire and rescue personnel and 113 vehicles had arrived at the remote mountainous border area, while 6,612 pieces of rescue equipment and logistical supplies had been dispatched to the town of Gyirong, the administration noted.
According to border inspection authorities in Xizang, an emergency reinforcement team comprising 246 police personnel from Lhasa and Xigaze, the regional capital and the region's second-largest city, respectively, was immediately dispatched to Gyirong Town after Wednesday's deadly mudslide.
Among them were 190 police officers from Xigaze, who took with them more than 300 pieces of rescue equipment, including life detectors and manual breaking tools, to support on-site rescue operations.
A large amount of daily necessities, such as highland barley, rice, flour, drinking water, instant noodles, tents, folding beds, quilts, mattresses, blankets and raincoats have been delivered to the town, the region's emergency management department said.
China Anneng, a state-owned engineering and rescue enterprise, sent out a 15-member team on Friday equipped with reconnaissance drones, portable satellite stations and mobile surveillance cameras to conduct on-site surveys to provide accurate data aimed at boosting rescue efforts.
More than 500 personnel from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the People's Armed Police Force (PAP), along with dozens of vehicles, have been deployed as part of the rescue operations.
The first truck carrying supplies from the PLA Xizang Military Command arrived in Gyirong Town early on Thursday, transporting more than 9,000 items, including cotton tents, folding beds and moisture-proof mats.
On the ground, PLA and PAP rescue teams pushed toward the Gyirong border port, clearing roads, removing mud while using life detectors and drones to search for survivors.
In the air, a military drone from the PLA Western Theater Command spotted an avalanche sending ice debris into a barrier lake, triggering an immediate warning and emergency evacuation.
"For three consecutive days, we have used the drone to conduct extensive, close-range reconnaissance of the hardest-hit areas, monitor the barrier lake and surrounding mountains, and assess the risk of secondary disasters, providing scientific data to support rescue and relief efforts," said an Air Force official with the PLA Western Theater Command.
Rescuers on site say operations are extremely challenging due to potential secondary disasters, damaged road infrastructure and communications.
The meteorological department is forecasting light to moderate rain or thunderstorms across most of Gyirong County until Sunday. These downpours could trigger flash floods, mudslides and landslides in vulnerable areas, potentially disrupting rescue work.
County authorities have also warned that a barrier lake, formed upstream of the port by the glacier collapse, sits in an unstable geological setting and could breach, endangering rescue operations downstream.
Local authorities said a road about three kilometers from the site was destroyed by the mudslide, delaying rescue access and slowing response efforts. Communications and power supply were also cut off, leaving the situation in the core area unknown for a time.
By Thursday afternoon, 499 people affected by the mudslide had been resettled and 555 stranded tourists had also been evacuated.
The mudslide was triggered by the collapse of glacier on the Nepalese side at a higher elevation, said Guo Zhaocheng, an expert with the Ministry of Natural Resources.
According to current assessments, it might have taken only about seven minutes between the onset of the ice avalanche and the mudslide hitting the port, said Guo. Such a narrow window highlights the difficulty of detecting and issuing early warnings for high-altitude, long-distance chain disasters.
Similar ice avalanches occurred on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in 2016 and in India's mountain regions in 2021. According to scientists, against the backdrop of global warming, glacial disasters on the "Third Pole" and its surrounding areas are becoming more frequent, more widespread and more destructive.
As an important channel for China-Nepal border trade and a national first-class land port, Gyirong Port normally sees bustling commercial activity, a dense population and extensive infrastructure.
The disaster struck during daytime working hours, when crowds of people were present at the port, a factor rescuers said further raised the risk of casualties.
