President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out rescue and relief efforts after a mudslide on Wednesday in Nepal caused heavy casualties and left many people missing at a border port in the Xizang autonomous region.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the instruction after the mudslide struck the Gyirong border port, a major land port linking China and Nepal, in Shigatse at around 10:30 am, according to Xinhua News Agency.

As of 8 pm on Wednesday, at least three people had been killed and 265 others remained missing, CCTV News quoted local authorities as saying.

The president stressed that the top priority now is to make every possible effort to search for and rescue missing people, evacuate residents at risk and provide timely medical treatment to the injured.

He also underlined efforts to strengthen monitoring and early warning, carry out rescue work in a scientific manner and prevent secondary disasters.

Noting that the country is at a critical stage of flood control, Xi emphasized that all local authorities and relevant departments should prepare for worst-case scenarios and extreme situations, and earnestly implement measures for flood and typhoon prevention.

They must also step up efforts to identify and defuse potential risks and hazards, resolutely prevent serious and major disasters and accidents, and effectively protect people's lives and property, he said.

Premier Li Qiang has ordered prompt efforts to verify the number of people missing and affected, conduct all-out relief operations and evacuate people at risk.

He urged the Foreign Ministry to strengthen communication and coordination with relevant countries to share information in a timely manner and work together to properly handle rescue and relief efforts.

Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing has led a team to the site to guide rescue and response efforts.

Video footage released by China Central Television showed muddy water gushing, carrying tree branches and debris, and some buildings were buried as the mudslide struck. Meanwhile, the disaster has cut off roads, communication networks and power supplies at the border port area on the Chinese side, Xinhua reported.

In the wake of the disaster, China has activated a Level-II emergency response for disaster relief and a Level-II emergency response for geological disasters, the second-highest in the country's four-tier emergency response system. Governments at all levels have responded with immediate measures, making every effort to carry out disaster relief as well as search and rescue operations.

Three central government departments — the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Development and Reform Commission — have altogether allocated 220 million yuan ($33 million) to support Xizang in carrying out emergency rescue and disaster relief work.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has deployed 249 personnel from the national comprehensive fire and rescue force, along with 325 engineering rescue personnel from China Anneng Construction Group, PowerChina and other centrally administered State-owned enterprises.

A total of 30,000 central relief items, including tents, stoves, clothing and quilts, folding beds and moisture-proof mats, have been sent to support the evacuation, resettlement and relief work.

At the local level, as of Wednesday afternoon, the Xizang Fire and Rescue Corps had deployed 72 vehicles and 431 fire and rescue personnel at the site, equipped with rescue dogs, life detectors, assault boats and other rescue equipment.

Five repair workers from the State Grid Xizang Electric Power Co — the first group of emergency power repair personnel to arrive at the site — rushed there with a medium-voltage power generator vehicle and two small emergency lamps, and started work to ensure basic power supply and lighting for nighttime rescue operations.

The local meteorological bureau has forecast continued rainfall across the county of Gyirong from Wednesday evening through Sunday, warning of possible floods, landslides and other secondary disasters in low-lying areas.

LHASA -- Rescue teams are racing to a mudslide-stricken border port in southwest China's Xizang autonomous region after the disaster caused significant casualties along the China-Nepal border on Wednesday, local authorities said.

A mudslide occurred on Wednesday morning in Nepal, resulting in three people dead and 265 missing at Gyirong Port in Gyirong county of Xizang as of 8 pm, according to initial estimates.

Xizang has activated its highest-level relief and emergency response for natural disasters. The region's emergency management authority has dispatched 792 personnel and 152 vehicles for the rescue effort, while the regional fire and rescue authority has mobilized 72 vehicles and 431 firefighting and rescue personnel with rescue dogs, life scanners and speed boats to aid the effort.

The local People's Liberation Army and armed police have also sent rescue and relief teams to the scene.

As of 5:35 pm, central and regional authorities had dispatched relief supplies including 8,000 cotton coats, 2,000 tents, 3,000 quilts and 5,000 moisture-proof mats to the affected area, officials said.

The mudslide has cut off roads leading to the port on the Chinese side, as well as communications and power supplies, officials revealed, adding that the first batch of power grid repairers had arrived at the site.

On the national level, the Ministry of Natural Resources activated a Level-II emergency response for geological disasters, the second-highest in China's four-tier emergency response system, and dispatched a working team to the stricken site to guide rescue operations and prevent secondary disasters, the ministry said.

The National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief, together with the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM), helped allocate 30,000 central relief supplies including tents, stoves, clothing, quilts, folding beds and moisture-proof mats to support the evacuation, resettlement and relief work.

The Ministry of Finance and the MEM also allocated 120 million yuan (about $17.69 million) in central natural disaster relief funds to support Xizang in carrying out emergency rescue and disaster relief operations.

Meanwhile, the National Development and Reform Commission earmarked 100 million yuan in central budget investment to support post-disaster emergency recovery and reconstruction efforts.

The local meteorological observatory forecasts continued rainfall across Gyirong County from Wednesday evening through Sunday, warning of possible floods, landslides and other secondary disasters in low-lying areas.

The Western Theater Command Air Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army dispatched a drone on Wednesday evening to survey disaster conditions in the Gyirong Port area of Xizang autonomous region, after a mudslide on the Nepal side of the border left at least three dead and 265 missing.

The command sent the drone to the affected area for aerial reconnaissance at around 8 pm, after an airport on the plateau saw a brief spell of stable weather.

The mudslide occurred at around 10:30 am on Wednesday, affecting Gyirong Port in Gyirong county, Shigatse city.

After the disaster, the Western Theater Command Air Force quickly activated its emergency response plan for disaster relief, with missions planned including aerial reconnaissance, search and rescue, and air transport, while organizing transport aircraft, helicopters, and drones to prepare for possible deployment.

An army border defense regiment activated its flood control and rescue emergency plan immediately after the disaster.

The Shigatse detachment of the People's Armed Police Force Xizang Contingent also launched an emergency response.

According to reconnaissance by an advance team, roads and communications around Gyirong Port have been cut off, and some buildings have been buried.

As of 5 pm on Wednesday, the Xizang Military Command had sent a forward command team to the site and urgently deployed emergency rescue forces.

More than 130 troops from a unit under the Shigatse military sub-command, along with engineering machinery, had completed preparations for deployment.

Meanwhile, more than 140 officers and soldiers from the Shigatse detachment of the People's Armed Police Force Xizang Contingent, carrying professional disaster relief equipment, were heading to the front line for rescue operations.

A mudslide disaster affecting Gyirong county in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, has left three people dead and 265 others missing as of 8 pm local time on Wednesday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

It said the figures were released by the front-line command center after preliminary verification. The exact number of casualties is still being checked, and rescue operations are proceeding in an orderly manner.

The mudslide occurred at around 10:30 am on the Nepalese side of the border, affecting Gyirong port in Gyirong county, Shigatse, causing significant casualties and resulting in many people going missing.

The mudslide also cut off roads leading toward Gyirong port, according to the report.

The first group of emergency power repair personnel has arrived at Gyirong Port in Shigatse city, Xizang autonomous region, following a fatal mudslide on Wednesday, according to State Grid Xizang Electric Power Co.

Five repair workers, one medium-voltage generator vehicle, and two small emergency lighting units are now in place to provide basic electricity and nighttime lighting for rescue operations, Xizang Television reported.

More emergency power and lighting equipment, including mobile lighting towers, handheld lights, charging units, low-voltage generator vehicles, and small generators, is being sent to the disaster-hit area.

The company has also allocated lightweight utility poles and other repair materials, while another 20 professional repair workers are heading to the site to help restore power lines damaged by the disaster.

The mudslide occurred at around 10:30 am on Wednesday on the Nepal side of the border and caused large numbers of casualties and left people missing at Gyirong Port in Gyirong county, Shigatse. Roads to the port were cut off, while power and communications were disrupted, according to local authorities.

KATHMANDU - As many as 72 people have been found dead in the flash flood in the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal, police said.

Abi Narayan Kafle, spokesperson of Nepal Police, confirmed to Xinhua, adding that 41 injured people have been receiving treatment in different hospitals.

China's Xizang autonomous region activated a Level I emergency response for natural disasters on Wednesday after a mudslide that began in Nepal resulted in significant numbers of casualties and missing.

The mudslide occurred at around 10:30 am, according to the regional emergency command, eventually hitting Gyirong Port in Gyirong county, Shigatse city, close to the border with Nepal.

Authorities have launched search and rescue operations, evacuation and resettlement of affected residents, while the injured are being treated.

Monitoring for secondary disasters is being carried out, while emergency supplies are also being dispatched and rescue forces deployed to support relief work.

Shigatse city in Xizang autonomous region activated a Level I emergency response for natural disaster relief on Wednesday afternoon after a mudslide caused casualties and left people missing in the Gyirong Port area of Gyirong county.

The disaster was triggered by a mudslide on the Nepalese side of the border, with the impact felt in the port area of China's Shigatse city. Casualties and missing were confirmed by the city's emergency command office, with rescue workers dispatched to the area.

Xizang Fire and Rescue Corps deployed 431 firefighters, 72 vehicles, search and rescue dogs, life detectors and inflatable boats to the scene on Wednesday afternoon, according to Xizang Television.

LHASA - Two-way temporary traffic restrictions have been put in place on roads leading to Gyirong Port in southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, after a mudslide struck near the border port on Wednesday morning, local traffic authorities said.

All routes from Gyirong town to the port are closed to vehicles except for emergency and rescue operations until further notice, according to local authorities.

The restrictions were imposed after the mudslide rendered roads in the port area unsafe for travel, and cut off road links, communications and power supplies to the Chinese side of the port, the emergency management bureau of Gyirong county in Shigatse city said.

The mudslide, which occurred on the Nepalese side, caused severe casualties and left people unaccounted for at Gyirong Port.

The local meteorological observatory forecasts continued rainfall across the county from Wednesday evening through Sunday, warning of possible floods, landslides and other secondary disasters in low-lying areas.

Gyirong Port is a major land port linking China and Nepal.

KATHMANDU - The death toll from a massive flash flood in Nepal's Bhote Koshi River on Wednesday reached 22, the police said.

Rajendra Prasad Dhamala, spokesperson for the Bagmati Province Police, confirmed the death toll and said search and rescue operations were continuing in the affected areas.

Security forces have so far rescued 88 people from the affected areas, Dhamala said.

The Nepal Tourism Board said that as many as 384 tourists, including 291 foreigners, have been reported missing after a massive flash flood swept through Rasuwa district in northern Nepal.

Sunil Sharma, spokesperson at the board, said the missing foreign tourists were from India, Australia, the Netherlands, the United States, Malaysia, Britain and South Africa, among others.

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah has called an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss rescue and relief measures.

The Nepali Army, backed by other security forces, has intensified search and rescue operations in the affected districts.

The worst damage has been reported in Rasuwa, where the flood swept away several houses, damaging markets, hydropower projects, roads and other infrastructure.

"Several people are reported missing. Rescue efforts are underway," Druba Prasad Adhikari, deputy chief district officer of Rasuwa, told Xinhua earlier.

A mudslide that began in Nepal caused heavy casualties at Gyirong border port in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Wednesday morning.

The National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction, and Relief and the Ministry of Emergency Management have activated a Level-II national disaster relief emergency response, the second-highest in China's four-tier natural disaster relief system. This response is reserved for major and extremely serious disasters and was activated after a mudslide in Nepal caused casualties at the Gyirong border port in southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Wednesday morning.

A mudslide caused significant casualties and left people missing at the Gyirong border port in Gyirong county, Shigatse, in Xizang, around 10:30 am on Wednesday. This prompted China to dispatch 574 rescue personnel, allocate 30,000 disaster relief supplies, and earmark 120 million yuan in central disaster relief funds for emergency response and rescue work.

Following the disaster, the Ministry of Emergency Management immediately coordinated rescue and relief efforts and sent a work team to the site to assist with the emergency response. The rescue forces include 249 personnel from the national comprehensive fire and rescue force and 325 engineering rescuers from China Anneng Group, PowerChina, and other units, who were dispatched with equipment. Specialized equipment, including emergency communication support systems and aeromagnetic detection devices, has also been sent to the disaster area to support on-site communications, search operations, and rescue work.

The Ministry of Natural Resources also activated a Level-II geological disaster prevention response at 3 pm on Wednesday and sent a work team to the site to guide rescue operations and help guard against secondary geological disasters. The ministry urged the Xizang regional natural resources department to immediately send an expert team to assist local authorities with search and rescue, emergency response, and technical support. It also called for increased inspections, monitoring, early warning, and prevention work against similar geological risks.

The China Geological Survey and the ministry's technical guidance center for geological disasters have been asked to strengthen expert coordination, consultation, and risk assessment to provide full technical support for front-line rescue work.

Together with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, authorities allocated 30,000 central disaster relief supplies, including tents, heating stoves, clothing, quilts, folding beds, and moisture-proof mats, to support the relocation and resettlement of affected residents.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management urgently pre-allocated 120 million yuan ($17.9 million) in central natural disaster relief funds to support Xizang in emergency rescue and relief work. The funds will be used mainly for search and rescue, relocation and resettlement of affected residents, risk removal, emergency response, and the repair of damaged homes to minimize disaster losses and casualties.

Weather conditions may add pressure to rescue work. From Wednesday evening to Sunday, most parts of Gyirong county are forecast to see light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while some low-altitude townships in the south may experience heavy rain, local meteorological authorities said. Low-altitude areas of the county face a heightened risk of rain-triggered disasters, with mountain torrents, mudslides, and landslides possible in some places. Thunderstorms, gales, hail, and short-term heavy rainfall are also likely from afternoon to night in various areas, posing further disaster risks, local meteorological authorities said. The Xizang regional meteorological bureau has entered a special working mode and is updating weather forecasts every two hours to support front-line disaster relief operations.

Chinese authorities have mobilized emergency relief materials to support rescue and resettlement work in Xizang autonomous region after a cross-border debris flow caused a large number of casualties and missing persons.

At around 10:30 am on Wednesday, a debris flow occurred on the Nepalese side of the border, which continued across into Gyirong Port in Gyirong county, Shigatse.

Since then, the Office of the National Committee for Disaster Reduction and Relief, the Ministry of Emergency Management, together with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, has allocated 30,000 items of central government disaster relief supplies to the affected area.

The materials include tents, heating stoves, quilts and clothes, folding beds, moisture-proof mats and other daily necessities and disaster-rescue equipment, which will support the resettlement of affected residents and aid targeted disaster assistance work.

Also on Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management allocated 120 million yuan ($18 million) in natural disaster relief funds to support Xizang. The focus is on search and rescue operations, relocating and resettling affected residents, eliminating hazards, and repairing damaged homes.

The National Development and Reform Commission allocated 100 million yuan on Wednesday to support the emergency restoration and reconstruction of infrastructure and other facilities in the disaster-affected areas.

KATHMANDU - As many as 384 tourists, including 291 foreigners, have been reported missing after a massive flash flood swept through north Nepal's Rasuwa district, the Nepal Tourism Board said on Wednesday.

Sunil Sharma, spokesperson at the board, said the missing foreign tourists were from India, Australia, the Netherlands, the United States, Malaysia, Britain and South Africa, among others.

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to search and rescue people who are missing after a mudslide in Nepal caused casualties at Gyirong border port in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Wednesday morning.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called for efforts to evacuate residents at risk and provide timely medical treatment to the injured to minimize casualties.

He made the instructions after a mudslide occurred at around 10:30 am on Wednesday in Nepal, which caused severe casualties and left people unaccounted for at Gyirong border port in Gyirong county.

Xi also stressed the need to strengthen monitoring and early warning, ensure scientific rescue operations and guard against secondary disasters.

Noting that China is currently in a critical period of flood control, he urged local authorities and relevant departments to prepare for worst-case scenarios and extreme situations, fully implement measures for flood and typhoon prevention, and step up efforts to identify and address potential risks and hazards.

He demanded resolute action to prevent major and catastrophic disasters and accidents and safeguard people's lives and property.

Premier Li Qiang also issued instructions, calling for an immediate verification of the number of the missing and affected people and for all-out rescue and relief efforts.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, instructed the Foreign Ministry to strengthen communication and coordination with relevant countries, promptly share information and work together to properly handle rescue and relief efforts.

Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, led officials from relevant departments to the site to guide rescue and disaster-response operations.

Authorities in Xizang have mobilized forces to carry out search and rescue operations. All relevant operations are underway.

A landslide struck near Gyirong Port in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Wednesday and some people may be missing, according to local authorities.

The county-level emergency management bureau in Gyirong, administered by Shigatse, said the landslide occurred near the border port, which serves as a major land crossing between China and Nepal.

Access roads, telecommunications, and power supply on the Chinese side have been cut off, the bureau said.

Emergency response teams have been mobilized to the affected area. Further details are being verified as rescue operations continue.