3 killed, 558 missing after mudslide hits border port in Xizang

Three people were confirmed dead, 558 missing and two villagers were rescued as of 8 am Thursday after a mudslide hit Gyirong county in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, local authorities said at a news conference on Thursday.

Among the total number of the dead and the missing, 260 are foreign nationals. These figures were released by the front-line command center after preliminary verification, Norbu Tsering, commander-in-chief of the frontline command for the Gyirong mudslide disaster, said.

The mudslide, which occurred at around 10:30 am on Wednesday in Nepal, caused significant casualties and left many missing after impacting the Gyirong border port, a key land connection between China and Nepal.

All rescue operations are currently underway in an active and orderly manner, Norbu Tsering said.