A glacier collapse in Nepal triggered a deadly mudslide at Gyirong Port on the China-Nepal border in Xizang Autonomous Region on August 26. As of 6 p.m. local time on Saturday, 16 people were confirmed dead while 546 remained missing, according to regional authorities. The disaster also left 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries unaccounted for, officials stated during a Sunday press conference.
Chinese rescue teams have mobilized 2,141 personnel, 269 vehicles, and 3,922 sets of equipment to search an area spanning 90,000 square meters. Road repairs are a priority, with crews restoring 2.6 kilometers of a critical route by Saturday morning, though another 1.7 kilometers must still be cleared to reach Gyirong Port. Traffic police have restricted civilian vehicles to the area, permitting only authorized emergency teams.
The mudslide disrupted operations at a hydropower plant tunnel in Nepal, prompting China’s Ministry of Emergency Management to dispatch five tunnel specialists for assistance. Three portable weather stations have also been deployed to monitor conditions, support road restoration, and conduct drone surveys of a newly formed barrier lake.
China’s National Cryosphere Desert Data Center and National Earth Observation Data Center are sharing critical data with rescue teams. The centers provided 53 datasets totaling 85 GB and 20 GB of satellite imagery to evaluate road damage, identify collapsed structures, and track secondary hazards.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on Saturday, reaffirming Beijing’s commitment to both domestic rescue operations and Nepal’s relief efforts. The collapse has caused significant losses on both sides of the border, with China coordinating closely with Nepal to manage the crisis.