China Intensifies Rescue Efforts After Deadly Tibet Mudslide

Chinese rescue teams are continuing around-the-clock efforts to restore a vital road to the Gyirong border crossing with Nepal after a devastating mudslide destroyed sections of the route last week.

Rescuers are working in a dangerous mountain gorge between unstable cliffs and a fast-flowing river. River currents have reached speeds of 6 to 7 metres per second, several times faster than normal, making road reconstruction extremely difficult.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, attempts to rebuild parts of the road have repeatedly been washed away by powerful rapids. Excavators have also been operating close to the shattered edge of the highway, where sections of the road have disappeared into the river.

By Tuesday afternoon, rescue teams had moved to within about 800 metres of the worst-hit section on the Chinese side of the border.

China Anneng, a state-owned rescue company, has deployed 158 personnel and 33 pieces of heavy equipment. Teams are working continuously under a system in which crews rotate while machinery remains in operation.

Electricity crews are also working to restore power to the disaster-affected area.

The National Highway G216, a key route running alongside the Gyirong Tsangpo River toward the China-Nepal border, was severely damaged after debris and floodwater surged toward the border crossing.

The disaster began after a glacier collapse triggered mudslides and flooding across parts of Nepal and Tibet.

Risk of Further Disasters

Although several temporary lakes created by debris on the Tibetan side have begun draining naturally, authorities remain concerned about additional landslides and possible flooding.

A volatile body of water upstream in Nepal could still block the river, and a sudden breach could send another powerful torrent into the rescue area.

CCTV reported that the crater created by last week's glacier collapse, which had contained an amount of water equivalent to about 260 Olympic-sized swimming pools, was shrinking.

However, authorities warned that another glacier collapse into the crater could trigger a fresh disaster. Forecasters also expected heavier rainfall through Wednesday, potentially causing rivers and lakes to rise further.

A Chinese water resources official warned that such natural dams are unstable and can fail after prolonged saturation and erosion.

More than 60 rescuers had entered the disaster zone by Tuesday afternoon and searched the wreckage twice for possible survivors.

The force of the mudslide has left scars on surrounding slopes rising as high as 60 metres, roughly the height of a 20-storey building.

China's official death toll remained at 16, while 546 people were still reported missing.