A mudslide that began on the Nepalese side of the border on Wednesday morning hit the Gyirong Port area in Gyirong county, Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, leaving three people dead and 558 others missing as of 8 am Thursday. Rescue work is continuing.

How have rescue operations progressed?

Gyirong township lies on the southern slope of the Himalayas, bordering Nepal. Its steep terrain and narrow valleys have made rescue operations extremely difficult.

Rescuers said mud in the core disaster area was more than 1.5 meters deep, while possible ground subsidence further slowed the movement of personnel and machinery. The mudslide also destroyed sections of the river valley. Local police warned that rising temperatures around noon could increase geological risks and urged people to leave dangerous areas quickly.

Multiple rescue forces have been sent to the front line. The Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched teams to Xizang, and as of around 8 am on Thursday, the first group of 141 rescuers had arrived at Gyirong Port. A plateau-type Mi-171 helicopter had also reached the disaster area.

Forces from the Xizang Military Command, armed police, fire and rescue teams, the China Search and Rescue Team and China Anneng Group - which specializes in the engineering element of rescue operations - have joined the operation. Shigatse has activated a Level I emergency response for natural disaster relief.

Norbu Tsering, commander-in-chief of the disaster frontline command, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China Shigatse Municipal Committee and acting mayor of Shigatse, said two villagers from Resuo Village had been rescued as of 8 am on Thursday.

What caused the disaster?

Experts at the Ministry of Natural Resources said the disaster was triggered by the collapse of a high-altitude glacier in Nepal. The falling ice rushed downhill at high speed, sweeping up moraine deposits and turning into a debris flow. It then entered the Donglin Zangbo River, forming a mudslide that struck Gyirong Port and continued downstream through the canyon.

Guo Zhaocheng, director of the geological disaster investigation and monitoring center at the China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources, described it as a chain reaction from ice collapse to debris flow and then mudslide.

The debris flow moved at an estimated speed of about 50 meters per second and affected an area more than 20 kilometers away.

Yao Tandong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said glacier-related disasters are becoming more frequent, wider in range and more destructive amid global warming. In this case, disaster energy moved down the valley and was amplified downstream, increasing both damage and secondary risks.

Rescuers said the terrain encountered by the mudslide as it rushed downstream did little to slow or absorb its force, making its impact especially destructive when it reached Gyirong Port. They said the disaster originated in a high-altitude, complex mountainous area of Nepal, where source-area inspections are difficult and early warning signs are hard to detect.

Gyirong Port is a major trade channel between China and Nepal, with concentrated personnel, buildings and business activities. Rescuers said casualty figures may be higher because the disaster occurred during daytime working hours.

What challenges do rescuers face?

Rescuers said the main challenges are unstable terrain, damaged roads, poor weather and disrupted communications.

Local authorities said a barrier lake had formed upstream after the ice collapse, posing a threat to downstream rescue work. Landslides were still occurring near Langdang Snow Mountain, and drones were being used to monitor the lake because of fast-flowing river water and unsafe ground conditions.

Road damage has also slowed rescue access. A section about 3 kilometers from the main disaster site was damaged. On Wednesday, with roads blocked, an advance team of more than 10 police and fire rescuers used three large machines but managed to advance only about 600 meters. Rain, fading light and deep river water further complicated the operation.

By Thursday morning, several local officials and front-line rescuers said the roadbed had been severely damaged, and the river remained deep and fast-flowing, adding to the difficulty of rescue work.

Communications and power were cut off in the affected area. Five base stations along the route from Gyirong Township to the border port were destroyed by floodwater. At around 4 pm on Thursday, communication signals were restored in Resuo Village, about 3 kilometers from Gyirong Port.

Meteorological authorities have forecast frequent rain in Gyirong county until Sunday, with heavy rain possible in some low-altitude southern townships, along with high temperature variation between night and day. Mountain torrents, mudslides and landslides may occur in some areas.

How are affected people being aided?

After the disaster, national authorities activated a Level-II emergency response for disaster relief, the second-highest in China's four-level disaster relief emergency response system, and the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management allocated 120 million yuan ($17.85 million) in central disaster relief funds.

Local governments have organized evacuations and temporary resettlement. Police involved in rescue work have moved more than 300 Gyirong residents to safety.

Shigatse has allocated more than 15,000 relief items, including tents, blankets, cold-weather clothing, folding beds and daily necessities. Sixty-two temporary tents have been set up to meet basic living needs.

At a temporary settlement about 20 kilometers from Gyirong Port, each tent is equipped with beds, quilts and pillows. Power support equipment, emergency lighting and charging facilities are also available.

The National Health Commission is coordinating medical treatment, transfer of the injured and psychological support. Xizang has opened a 24-hour psychological assistance hotline, while hospitals, blood supply units and national emergency medical rescue teams are on standby.

Meteorological departments at four levels are increasing coordination, using satellite remote sensing and weather monitoring data to identify secondary disaster risks around the mudslide-hit area. Forecasts are being updated on a rolling basis to support rescue operations.

Experts warned that people should avoid valleys, river channels, low-lying areas and cliffside slopes during rainfall and remain alert to landslides and mudslides for 72 hours after rain ends.

GYIRONG, Xizang -- Rescue forces have been quickly deployed to a mudslide-hit port along the China-Nepal border in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, but relief operations remain severely hampered by complex and dangerous conditions on the ground.

Official figures show that a fast-moving chain mudslide, triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse on the Nepalese side, swept through Gyirong Port on Wednesday morning. As of 8 am on Thursday, three people had been killed, 558 remained missing, while two local villagers had been rescued.

Xinhua reporters at the scene said the mudslide had devastated the river valley below. The silt layer in the core disaster area is more than 1.5 meters deep, posing a high risk of trapping anyone caught in it.

Chinese rescue teams mobilized swiftly to the remote mountainous border region. The first contingent of 141 emergency rescuers reached Gyirong Port on Thursday morning. Another 111 members of China's national search and rescue team arrived in Gyirong county by 2:28 pm Thursday.

The People's Liberation Army Xizang Military Command has deployed two batches of military helicopters to conduct aerial assessments, map rescue flight routes and carry out intensive searches, while also ferrying medical and rescue equipment to the affected area.

Despite these efforts, rescuers on site say operations are extremely challenging due to several factors.

The first is the risk of secondary disasters. The meteorological department forecasts light to moderate rain or thunderstorms across most of Gyirong county from Wednesday night to Sunday, with heavy rain in some southern low-altitude towns. These downpours could trigger flash floods, mudslides and landslides in vulnerable areas, potentially disrupting rescue work.

The county authorities have also warned that a barrier lake, formed upstream of the port by the glacier collapse, sits in an unstable geological setting and could breach, endangering rescue operations downstream.

The second obstacle is damaged road infrastructure. Local authorities said a road about three kilometers from the site was destroyed by the mudslide, delaying rescue access and slowing response efforts.

The third challenge is the temporary loss of contact with the disaster zone. In the immediate aftermath, communications and power supply were cut off, leaving the situation in the core area unknown for a time.

By around 4 pm Thursday, communication signals were restored in a village three kilometers from the port, marking phased progress in emergency communication support, authorities 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 evacuation, resettlement and relief work.

The Ministry of Finance and the MEM also allocated 120 million yuan (about $17.7 million) in central natural disaster relief funds to support Xizang in carrying out emergency rescue and disaster relief operations.

Governments at all levels in Xizang and relevant departments have promptly organized disaster prevention efforts and risk avoidance measures, and have properly relocated and resettled those under threat.

A total of 499 villagers and construction workers have been properly accommodated. Meanwhile, 555 affected tourists were evacuated and transferred under the coordination of cultural and tourism authorities. No tourists remain stranded.

GYIRONG -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for all-out rescue and emergency response efforts following a mudslide that struck the Gyirong border port in Gyirong county of Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region.

Entrusted by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, traveled to Gyirong County on Thursday to guide rescue and emergency response efforts after the disaster.

Li stressed the need to put the people and their lives above all else and spare no effort in carrying out rescue and emergency response work.

Firefighters, road maintenance crews and other agencies were working in dangerous conditions Friday to reopen a damaged route toward Gyirong Port in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, as rising risks from a barrier lake, rainfall and secondary geological disasters complicated the search for missing people.

On Wednesday morning, a mudslide that began on the Nepalese side of the border caused major casualties at Gyirong Port in Gyirong county. Preliminary figures showed that, as of 8 am on Thursday, three people had been killed and 558 others were missing on the Chinese side of the border. In Nepal, police say the death toll has risen to 469.

The disaster cut off roads, communications and power between Gyirong township and the port.

At a road repair site about 2.8 kilometers from the border gate, rescuers said nearly 1 kilometer of the damaged road had been reopened, while about 1.8 kilometers remained blocked. Rescue teams in the area are continuing repair work with mechanical equipment.

On Friday, it was reported that a barrier lake upstream of Gyirong Port had begun to overflow, making it extremely dangerous to approach badly hit areas due to the risk of new mountain torrents or mudslides.

However, Xia Mingyong, a member of the Lhasa fire and rescue mobile detachment, said rescuers were trying to advance by both land and water.

"On land, we mainly plan to move toward the port on foot. On water, we are preparing to use rubber boats to reach the affected area near the port for search and rescue," Xia said.

He said the team had not yet fully assessed conditions in the core disaster area and was still moving toward the port, adding that the specific rescue plan will depend on what they find after arrival.

At the scene, rescuers were seen preparing water rescue equipment. Because the road ahead had been washed away and river water had overflowed toward the mountain slope, access remained extremely difficult and slow.

Jigme Dorji, Party chief of the Nyalam maintenance section of the Shigatse highway development center, said the section was organizing emergency road clearance and repair work. More than 20 workers and eight pieces of machinery, including four excavators and four loaders, had been deployed.

People from local agencies and enterprises are also working on the operation, with personnel and machinery engaged in emergency access restoration.

A 15-member team from China Anneng, a State-owned engineering and rescue enterprise, was deployed to the barrier lake area in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Friday, with reconnaissance drones, portable satellite stations and fixed communication monitoring units.

The team conducted on-site surveys of the barrier dam and surrounding roads to provide precise data support for the scientific disposal of the barrier lake.

To mitigate risks, monitoring equipment was deployed on-site for around-the-clock surveillance. Reconnaissance drones patrolled overhead to map the disaster zone, assess terrain and locate trapped people. Fixed communication monitoring units stood guard at assigned points, providing 24-hour continuous monitoring of high-risk spots. Portable satellite stations restored emergency communication links, streaming live video and voice from the scene in real time to ensure efficient command and dispatch between frontline and rear headquarters.

China's national comprehensive fire and rescue force is carrying out search and rescue operations by water, land and air after a mudslide disaster left people missing at Gyirong Port in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region.

The disaster occurred at around 10:30 am on Aug 26 after a mudslide on the Nepalese side of the border, leaving three people dead and 558 others missing as of 8 am on Thursday.

According to the National Fire and Rescue Administration, as of 10 am on Friday, 681 rescuers and 113 vehicles from the national comprehensive fire and rescue force had arrived at the site. They include 415 rescuers and 75 vehicles from the Xizang fire and rescue corps, 155 rescuers and 38 vehicles from the Sichuan mobile rescue force, and 111 members of the China Search and Rescue Team.

A total of 6,612 pieces or sets of rescue equipment and support supplies in 19 types have also been allocated and sent to Gyirong township.

Under the rescue plan of the front-line command headquarters, fire and rescue teams have set up three specialized operation groups. They are entering the disaster area by rubber boats on waterways, advancing over mountains on foot by land, and using drones for aerial reconnaissance and supply delivery.

The teams are searching for and rescuing missing people while dealing with complex terrain and disrupted access to the affected area, the administration said.

A forward team has also been sent to conduct mapping, reconnaissance and fixed-point monitoring of the core disaster zone and the barrier lake area, using drones and binoculars.

Thirteen experts from the Shanghai Fire Research Institute have arrived at the site to support the rescue operation, the administration said.

After a mudslide hit Gyirong border port in Shigatse, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, emergency crews are conducting road clearance and repairs. Meanwhile, fire rescue teams are advancing toward the port area via both land and water to search for and rescue survivors.

To cope with the mudslide disaster that occurred on Wednesday, the Nyalam Maintenance Section of the Shigatse Highway Development Center, Xizang autonomous region, is making a concerted effort to clear and repair roads. Meanwhile, rescue forces are attempting to move forward with full-scale searches for survivors.

After the mudslide disaster, this video captures footage taken by China Daily Reporter Palden Nyima in Sichung village, Salhe township, located adjacent to the Xizang autonomous region’s mudslide stricken zone.

Xu Jiayi contributed to this story.

The Ministry of Water Resources on Thursday activated a Level IV emergency flood response — the lowest in the country's four-tier disaster-relief system, warning that a barrier lake that formed after a landslide on the China-Nepal border faces a high risk of breaching and sending floodwaters downstream.

The barrier lake formed near the confluence where Nepal's Chhochen Khola River flows into the Purepu Tsangpo River in China after a deadly landslide that began in Nepal on Wednesday morning and caused heavy casualties and large numbers of missing people at Gyirong Port in Gyirong county, Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region.

The lake had accumulated an estimated 2 million cubic meters of water as of Thursday morning, the ministry said in a media release on Thursday.

The ministry warned of a high breach risk as forecasts show that about 3 million cubic meters will flow into the lake over the next three days. This may cause further damage in areas including Gyirong Port and elsewhere downstream, it said.

The ministry has urged the Xizang water resources authority to closely monitor the barrier lake and rainfall, strengthen forecasting and risk assessments, and pinpoint communities in the potential path of the breach, the release said. Aside from issuing timely risk warnings, they should evacuate threatened residents in advance.

A hydrological emergency monitoring team has been closely monitoring the situation at the site, according to the ministry. Meanwhile, the ministry has dispatched an expert team to Gyirong county to assist with the emergency response.

With satellite remote sensing and other monitoring tools, the ministry is further inspecting rivers near the landslide-hit area for possible new barrier lakes and will ensure risk warnings are delivered promptly to frontline local authorities, the ministry said in another media release.

A mudslide, which occurred on the Nepalese side on Wednesday, struck a border port in Xizang and inflicted heavy casualties. As of the evening of Aug 27, a total of 499 residents — including 180 from Goba village, 40 from Sichung village, 107 from Lapher village, 55 from Lorjang village, and 88 from Trongse village — as well as 29 excavation crew members, have been safely relocated.

The deadly mudslide that swept through a major China-Nepal border crossing was triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal, China's Ministry of Natural Resources said on Thursday, highlighting the growing risks posed by unstable mountain environments as the climate warms.

The disaster occurred on Wednesday morning on the Nepal side of the border, sending a torrent of ice, rocks and debris toward Gyirong Port in Gyirong county, a major land crossing linking China and Nepal in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region.

The disaster caused heavy casualties and left hundreds missing in China and Nepal.

According to the ministry, the disaster began with a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal. The falling ice and rock traveled rapidly down a mountain slope, scouring loose glacial debris along its path and developing into a debris flow before entering the Gyirong Zangbo River and becoming a mudslide.

The flow then struck facilities at Gyirong Port before continuing downstream toward Nepal, said Guo Zhaocheng, director of the geological disaster investigation and monitoring center at the China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources.

The debris flow generated by the glacier collapse traveled at about 50 meters per second. The extreme speed left people little time to react and allowed the flow to affect an area more than 20 kilometers from its source, contributing to the heavy losses, the ministry said.

The combination of ice, water, loose rock and steep slopes can make high-altitude disasters particularly fast-moving and difficult to predict, experts said.

"If an ice-rock avalanche can be detected upstream, it is theoretically possible to provide downstream communities with about 20 minutes of warning," said Kang Shichang, director of the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

But the disaster occurred in a remote Himalayan area characterized by deep valleys and high mountains, where monitoring infrastructure is limited. The floodwater also reached the border rapidly, further shortening the available warning time, Kang said.

The disaster highlights a concern that climate change is reshaping the hazards of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and surrounding mountains.

Du Jun, director of the climate center of the Xizang regional meteorological bureau, said global warming is driving changes in glaciers, permafrost and snowfall that can increase the frequency and complexity of high-altitude disasters.

Glacier retreat can expand glacial lakes and increase the volume of water they hold, raising the risk of glacial lake outburst floods. "It also exposes more loose glacial debris, increasing the amount of material available to mudslides, while greater meltwater can strengthen erosion and the capacity of rivers to transport debris," Du told China Daily.

At the same time, permafrost degradation weakens slopes and foundations, and changes in groundwater and runoff can intensify erosion.

In southern Xizang, the number of snow-cover days has declined significantly since 1981, falling by an average of 12.36 days every decade, according to Du.

A shorter snow-cover season can alter the timing and intensity of spring snowmelt, while reducing the buffering effect of snow cover and increasing erosion, he said.

Multiple changes can overlap in both time and space, with glacier melt, permafrost degradation and heavy runoff interacting across different elevations. "The result is a shift in highland disasters from isolated events toward more frequent, cascading and interconnected disasters," Du said.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has already experienced rapid warming and wetting. From 1961 to 2022, average temperatures across the plateau rose by about 0.37 C per decade, faster than the global and national averages, while average precipitation increased by 9.4 millimeters per decade. Satellite observations show that the plateau's glacier area shrank by about 18 percent from 1985 to 2020, from roughly 83,000 to 68,000 square kilometers, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Zhang Xingying, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and an official with the China Meteorological Administration, warned during China's annual two sessions in 2025 that glacier surges, ice avalanches and glacial lake outburst floods could become more frequent as glaciers melt.

"The risks of glacier-related mudslides, major disasters and catastrophes could also increase," he said.

Zhang has called for a monitoring system integrating ground, air and satellite observations across the plateau and surrounding areas, as well as stronger research into glacier-related disaster mechanisms and improved forecasting and risk assessment.

Li Menghan contributed to this story.

zhaoyimeng@chinadaily.com.cn

China's central bank has allocated an additional 5 billion yuan ($744 million) in relending funds to support disaster relief and post-disaster reconstruction in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region.

The People's Bank of China said on Thursday the additional relending quota for agriculture and small businesses would encourage financial institutions to increase credit support for businesses in the affected areas.

Police in Nepal said on Thursday that the death toll from flash floods that tore through three northern districts a day earlier had exceeded 350, with hundreds more people still missing.

"As of 5 pm Thursday, 359 people have died," Nepal Police said in a statement. Officials said the disaster could be one of the country's deadliest in decades.

The floods struck after an avalanche blocked the Lhende tributary of the Bhotekoshi River, sending a wall of water crashing into Timure, a bustling settlement in Rasuwa district near the border with China.

The torrent swept away entire neighborhoods, bridges, hydropower projects and other infrastructure, The Kathmandu Post reported. The worst-hit areas are popular with trekkers, river rafters and Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims.

Home Minister Sudhan Gurung said the focus remained on finding survivors, as rescue teams located 100 missing Indian visitors, mostly pilgrims, in the worst-hit area around the Trishuli river.

More than 650 foreigners remained unaccounted for, while Nepali authorities had yet to determine the number of missing locals.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah extended "heartfelt condolences" to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The national disaster authority held an emergency meeting to accelerate search, rescue and relief operations, Shah said. The Nepali Army has rescued 116 people from Timure.

Essential supplies, including generators, portable mobile towers, medical kits and tents, were being sent to the hardest-hit districts, he said.

Temporary mobile connectivity and phone-charging stations will soon be set up to help families stay in contact with loved ones, he added. The measures are aimed at restoring communications in communities where bridges, roads and power lines have been damaged.

Shah visited the hard-hit district of Nuwakot on Thursday to assess the damage and meet local officials on rescue and relief efforts, rehabilitation, and infrastructure restoration, local media reported.

Jai Kamakhya Prasad Kalwar, a shopkeeper in Dhunche town, Rasuwa, recalled how he and his neighbors fled as floodwaters swept through the area.

"We ran to save our lives, and we are safe for now," Kalwar said. He left everything behind, including his home and shop.

"No one here has a house left," he added.

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Zhang Maoming expressed China's deepest condolences and sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and all those affected, as well as to the government and people of Nepal.

"China stands firmly with Nepal at this difficult time," Zhang told Nepal's state-run NTV World.

Beijing will continue to closely monitor the developments and do its utmost to provide all possible support and assistance, he said.

"We have been working closely with the Nepali side and supporting each other in responding to the disaster," he said. "I'm sure by joining hands together, we will overcome the difficulties and rebuild our beautiful homes."

The Chinese embassy has activated its emergency response mechanism, assessed the situation of Chinese citizens and enterprises in the affected areas, and urged the Nepali government and relevant authorities to make every effort to carry out rescue operations, Zhang said.

The embassy has also dispatched a working team to the affected areas to coordinate and facilitate rescue efforts on the ground, he added.

Rajneesh Bhandari in Trishuli Bazaar, Nepal, and agencies contributed to this story.

Rescue efforts were ramped up on Thursday at the Gyirong border port in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, after a massive mudslide in Nepal caused extensive damage to the port area on Wednesday.

As of press time on Thursday, three people had been reported killed, 558 others remained missing, and two local villagers had been rescued. Among the missing were 260 foreign nationals. 

After the mudslide struck Gyirong, a major land port linking China and Nepal, at around 10:30 am on Wednesday, Chinese authorities activated emergency response mechanisms and scaled up the deployment of rescue teams, equipment and relief supplies to assist those who have been affected.

Entrusted by President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang led a group of senior officials from relevant departments to guide and oversee relief operations after arriving in the mudslide-hit area on Thursday afternoon. They also visited affected residents and rescue workers.

On Thursday, a guidance team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Western Theater Command arrived at a high-altitude airport in Xizang aboard a Y-20 transport aircraft to join local rescue efforts, with more than 500 personnel, four helicopters and multiple drones deployed, according to China Central Television.

An elite fire and rescue team, sent by the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Fire and Rescue Administration, brought more than 500 sets of equipment for detection, lifesaving, demolition, communications and medical support, along with four search-and-rescue dogs, to the area hit worst by the disaster.

Rescue forces from China Anneng Construction Group, a State-owned enterprise specializing in engineering and emergency response, have dispatched 310 technical experts and rescuers, including geologists and engineers, from cities including Beijing, Chengdu in Sichuan province, Chongqing and Lhasa, the capital of Xizang, to the port. Their mission is to assist with on-the-ground relief operations, focusing on restoring damaged roads, communications and power supplies.

As of 6 pm on Thursday, about 800 meters of the 3-kilometer section of road leading to the Gyirong port had been cleared. To navigate the remaining section, Xizang's transportation department dispatched four emergency buses and three trucks for transporting personnel and rescue materials.

The China Anneng rescue team rushed to the hardest-hit area, bringing 120 sets of advanced equipment, including multifunctional survey drones, 3D laser scanners, life-detection devices, large excavators and loaders.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Thursday that China and Nepal are in close communication and coordinating efforts for search and rescue operations.

Police authorities in Nepal said that as of 5 pm on Thursday, the death toll from flash floods there reached 359, with hundreds more people still missing.

Lin said that nearly 100 Chinese nationals remained missing on the Nepalese side of the border after the mudslide, adding that the Chinese embassy is seeking further verification from the Nepalese authorities.

Beijing is ready to provide emergency assistance based on the needs of Kathmandu, said the ministry spokesman.

According to China's Ministry of Natural Resources, the disaster began with a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal. The falling ice and rock traveled rapidly down a mountain slope, collecting loose glacial debris along its path and developing into a debris flow before becoming a mudslide.

"The flow then struck facilities at the Gyirong port and areas beyond the border, continuing downstream and causing heavy casualties on both sides," said Guo Zhaocheng, an expert associated with the ministry who is in charge of geological disaster monitoring.

The debris flow generated by the glacier collapse traveled at about 50 meters per second, which left virtually no time for warning, and its impact stretched over 20 kilometers, resulting in devastating losses, Guo added.

Local resident Karma Dondrub, who routinely monitors border activity, was on duty and patrolling Lapher village when the mudslide struck. "Suddenly, the house began to shake and the trees were swaying," he said.

"Within seconds, floodwater came rushing down from the mountain above me into the river below," he added. He then made his way from the village to the nearby safe haven of Saleg township.

The Red Cross Society of China has sent a working group and relief supplies to regions affected by the disaster, along with a total of 2,500 relief items, including tents, family kits, hygiene packs, quilts, folding beds and winter jackets.

Search and rescue operations were progressing but faced challenges due to the complex terrain and hydrological conditions in the affected area.

A barrier lake that was created after the mudslide near a river confluence in the severely hit area had collected an estimated 2 million cubic meters of water and was already in overflow condition, the Ministry of Water Resources said.

Another 3 million cubic meters of water could flow into the lake over the next three days, posing a high risk of a breach.

To support emergency rescue and relief work, the Ministry of Natural Resources is closely monitoring the lake's development and conducting calculations and analysis regarding the risk of an outburst flood.

KATHMANDU -- Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Authority said that as many as 359 bodies had been recovered from flood-hit areas by Thursday evening, with 910 people still missing.

Rescue and search operations are continuing in the affected areas, with authorities working to locate missing people and recover more bodies.

Nepal Tourism Board said that 31 foreign nationals were rescued from the affected areas.

The Nepal Police called on all families affected by the disaster to go to the nearest police station and submit the relevant information and materials of the missing persons.

Rescue crews had cleared about 800 meters of a mudslide-hit section of a key highway in Gyirong county, Xizang autonomous region, by 6 pm on Thursday, according to the latest updates from regional and local authorities.

In addition, 499 affected people had been properly accommodated and 555 tourists evacuated as relief efforts continued following the mudslide that hit the area on Wednesday.

The Xizang regional transportation authorities said crews were working to clear a 3 kilometer section of the G216 highway leading to Gyirong Port. Excavators, loaders, and other machinery had been deployed to remove mud and debris.

Four emergency buses and three trucks have also been mobilized, with the trucks transporting 60 metric tons of emergency supplies. Authorities have stepped up inspections of national and regional highways connecting Lhasa with the disaster-hit area, to keep the main rescue route open.

Meanwhile, all 555 tourists affected in Gyirong township have been evacuated, according to local authorities. Tourists already staying in the township were assisted in leaving the area, while those planning to travel there were advised to turn back. No tourists remain stranded, the authorities said.

Gyirong county authorities said the 499 affected people who have been relocated include local residents and construction workers.

The disaster occurred at around 10:30 am on Wednesday after a mudslide on the Nepal side of the border struck the Gyirong Port area in Gyirong county, Shigatse.

Power supplies are also being reinforced in the disaster-hit area. State Grid Xizang Electric Power Company Limited said that as of 5 pm on Thursday, 89 emergency repair workers, 12 mobile power-generation vehicles, 31 generators, and 39 pieces of lighting equipment had arrived in Gyirong township.

Electricity has been connected to 32 tents at a relocation site, a newly established emergency warehouse, and two key parking areas. Power has also been provided for on-site disaster response operations.

Another 26 emergency power workers and 66 pieces of equipment were being dispatched to Gyirong township to further strengthen electricity supplies for rescue and relief operations.

A second group of 29 civil aviation support personnel arrived at Dingri Airport in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, on Thursday afternoon to assist relief operations following the mudslide disaster in Gyirong county, according to the regional government.

The team, dispatched by Xizang Airport Group and the regional air traffic control center, specialize in security checks, aircraft security, cargo handling, driving of special vehicles, supervision of loading and unloading, medical services, firefighting, communications and meteorological observation. Airport support vehicles have also been sent to Dingri and Shigatse Heping airports. Dingri Airport is the closest airport to Gyirong and using there can shorten transit time of supplies to the disaster-hit area by more than five hours compared with Heping Airport in Shigatse.

Following the disaster, the regional civil aviation administration activated an emergency response mechanism and coordinated flight capacity, with Lhasa and Dingri airports serving as key transfer hubs for rescue personnel and supplies.

So far, 37 support personnel have been dispatched. Airports in Xizang have handled seven emergency rescue flights, 31.8 metric tons of relief supplies and transported more than 300 rescue and relief personnel.