China boosts meteorological response after Nepal mudslide hits Gyirong Port

China's meteorological authorities upgraded their emergency response on Wednesday after a mudslide in Nepal caused major casualties and left hundreds missing at Gyirong Port in the Xizang autonomous region.

The mudslide occurred on Wednesday morning on the Nepal side of the border, affecting Gyirong Port in Gyirong county, a major land crossing linking China and Nepal in Shigatse. As of 8 am, three people had been confirmed dead and 558 remained missing.

On Wednesday evening, the China Meteorological Administration raised its emergency response for major meteorological disasters, including typhoons, torrential rain and severe convective weather, from Level III to Level II.

The meteorological authorities will strengthen coordination, while combining high-resolution satellite remote sensing with meteorological monitoring data to identify potential secondary disaster risks around the mudslide-affected area, according to the administration.

They will also continue to update weather forecasts and monitoring information to provide ongoing support for rescue and relief efforts.

Following the disaster, the National Satellite Meteorological Center quickly set up a special response team and established a joint emergency support group with the Xizang regional meteorological observatory to provide technical assistance.

Using the cloud platform of China's intelligent weather warning system, known as MAZU, Chinese meteorological authorities also held consultations with Nepalese meteorological departments and issued rapid updates on monitoring and forecasting severe weather worldwide.

The National Satellite Meteorological Center analyzed satellite imagery of the affected area using data from the HJ-2 satellite, while the China Meteorological Data Service Center promptly prepared an emergency weather service bulletin to provide real-time data support for rescue operations.

The administration's Meteorological Observation Center established a dedicated monitoring team, combining satellite-ground integrated products with ground observation data to assess changes in radar reflectivity and precipitation in the affected and upstream areas.

As of Wednesday, meteorological authorities in Xizang had issued three special weather service reports for rescue and relief efforts, along with a satellite remote-sensing image product for the disaster area, according to the administration.