Rescue forces continued all-out efforts to clear damaged sections of Highway G216 in Gyirong county, Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, on Saturday.

A barrier lake that formed in Gyirong county, Xizang autonomous region, as a result of a deadly mudslide originating in Nepal has fully drained through natural outflow, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

The barrier lake formed near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola River in Nepal and Purepu Tsangpo River in China, with its water volume estimated at 2 million cubic meters as of Thursday morning, when it was already overflowing, the ministry said in an earlier media release.

Based on the latest update from a hydrological emergency monitoring team dispatched by the ministry, the barrier lake is now discharging under normal natural conditions, and the impounded water has been essentially emptied, China Central Television reported on Saturday.

Sixteen people were killed and 546 others remained missing as of 6 pm on Saturday, after the mudslide struck Gyirong Port along the China-Nepal border on Wednesday, according to Xizang's emergency management department. Among the missing, 261 have been identified as foreign nationals.

A total of 261 foreign nationals remain unaccounted for after a massive mudslide hit a border port in Gyirong county, Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, local authorities said on Sunday.

The foreigners, from 23 countries, include 104 from Nepal, 49 from India, 33 from Latvia, 18 from the United States, 15 from the United Kingdom, six from Canada, six from Australia, four from South Africa, three from Russia, three from Germany, three from Malaysia, two from France, two from Ireland, two from Estonia, two from New Zealand, two from the Netherlands and one each from Lithuania, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, Finland, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

The figures were announced at a news conference held by the information office of the regional government, following a joint search and cross-checking of information by foreign affairs, public security, culture and tourism, and emergency management authorities.

After multiple rounds of inspections and population verification at the border port, no foreign tourists remain in Gyirong county, said Zhao Peng, vice-chairman of Xizang.

He noted that information on the foreign nationals has been reported to the relevant embassies, and that two 24-hour English-language hotlines — 0086-891-6817165 and 0086-18308026705 — have been setup for the families of the missing.

Zhao, who also serves as deputy head of the disaster's emergency and rescue command headquarters, added that the sudden and severe mudslide inflicted extensive damage on infrastructure and personnel records in the affected area, significantly hampering tracing and inspection efforts.

According to him, the foreign nationals currently registered in the county are primarily Nepali border residents, cross-border vehicle crews, and Nepali individuals in international marriages, all of whom are safe.

"For Nepali border residents wishing to return to their home country, we will carry out transfer, transportation, and customs clearance processes in a careful and orderly manner," he said. "For those who voluntarily choose to stay in Xizang, we will provide security and living support."

He emphasized that staff members will consistently respect the wishes and reasonable demands of the Nepali side, adhering to the principles of friendly consultation and prioritizing humanitarian needs.

A thorough evaluation, he said, will also be conducted to assess the departure needs of foreign tourists in Xizang, facilitating their exit through ports in Lhasa, Burang and Zhangmu, with a commitment to ensuring their safe and smooth departure.

Additionally, he added, communication with embassies in China will be strengthened to report on work progress in a timely manner.

16 dead, 546 missing after mudslide hits border port in Xizang

On Saturday, two helicopters from the People's Liberation Army Xizang Military Command were urgently deployed to the hardest-hit area near the Gyirong Port, carrying food, medicine and rescue equipment to frontline rescuers.

China is delivering a package of assistance to Nepal, including emergency cash assistance and humanitarian aid, following a severe cross-border disaster triggered by a glacial collapse, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday.

During a phone conversation with Nepali Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, Wang said disaster relief supplies provided by China would soon arrive in Kathmandu.

Chinese tunnel rescue experts have been divided into two teams and dispatched respectively to the disaster-hit area and Kathmandu to assist with rescue operations.

China has also shared with Nepal important information, including imagery, satellite and hydrological data from the disaster-hit area, as well as early-warning information on barrier lakes upstream, Wang said.

Regarding Nepali citizens stranded on the Chinese side, he said China has made proper arrangements for them and will help them return to Nepal as soon as possible.

Wang said the sudden glacial collapse in the China-Nepal border area had triggered severe mudslides, causing significant casualties and leaving people missing on both sides.

He described it as the most serious cross-border disaster between the two countries in recent years, saying the complexity and difficulty of rescue and relief operations were unprecedented.

While carrying out emergency rescue operations on its own side, China immediately extended a helping hand to support Nepal's disaster relief efforts, Wang said.

Wang thanked Nepal for its efforts to rescue and evacuate Chinese citizens in Nepal and expressed hope that the Nepali side would continue such efforts.

In the face of the disaster, he called on China and Nepal to stand firmly together, work hand in hand to overcome the difficulties and demonstrate through concrete actions their traditional friendship across the Himalayas.

Khanal expressed sincere gratitude for China's emergency humanitarian assistance.

He said that although both Nepal and China had been affected by the disaster, China had overcome its own difficulties to immediately convey sympathies and provide assistance to Nepal, fully demonstrating the high level of Nepal-China relations.

Nepal will continue to work closely with China and make every effort to rescue Chinese nationals who remain trapped or missing, while working together to rescue missing foreign nationals, Khanal said.

He added that Nepal is ready to strengthen cooperation with China in post-disaster reconstruction, disaster prevention and mitigation, and climate change response, and to further advance the strategic partnership of cooperation between the two countries.

On August 29, land search teams from Lhasa fire and rescue mobile detachment conducted search‑and‑rescue operations under arduous conditions in the core disaster zone of Gyirong Port in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region. Traversing slick ground blanketed by deep suction‑heavy mud, rescuers, tethered by ropes, forge ahead in coordinated moves.

Thousands of netizens have left messages of solidarity on the social media platform of the border inspection station in Xizang autonomous region that was hit by a devastating mudslide on Wednesday.

Communications with members of staff at the Gyirong Port in Shigatse, Xizang have been lost since it was hit by a mudslide originating in Nepal on Wednesday.

On Saturday, the official WeChat account of the Xizang general station of entry-exit border inspection, which the Gyirong Port is subordinate to, shared an update revealing it had been flooded with messages, prayers and good wishes from netizens across China since Wednesday, many reading simply "We're waiting for you to come back."

The post also featured a short video clip showing officers at the Gyirong Port. As of Saturday afternoon, it had received more than 284,000 thumbs-up and been forwarded over 4,600 times, with about 6,000 comments.

A netizen using the nickname "Nanshanxianke" commented on the video, "They (the station officers) guard the nation's gateway with their lives," drawing responses from others writing, "May a miracle be with them, and may they all return safely."

"They are the pillars of their families. This is a tragedy for so many households," wrote a netizen named "Hezhouhuaer".

Another user, who goes by the name "Wuxibancaijiejie", posted a photo of a young woman in uniform sitting on a sofa, with a caption that read: "We are all waiting for you to come back. You have never made us worry during your more than a decade of service at the border. We believe you will return safely this time too. Your 1-year-old son calls 'mom' every day."

Netizen "Yanjun" wrote, "Tears welled up in my eyes. Though we are strangers to one another, our hearts are connected. You are the people I respect the most."

A posted reply from the Xizang station read: "We seek no grand ode to heroism — only a miracle that endures. May it come, and may our fellow officers return safely."

MACAO -- The Macao Special Administrative Region government has decided to donate 30 million yuan ($4.42 million) through the Macao Foundation to Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region to support rescue and post-disaster recovery, the Macao SAR Government Information Bureau said Saturday.

Macao SAR Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai recently conveyed condolences to the autonomous region, mourning those who lost their lives and expressing sympathy to their families and people affected by the disaster.

The Macao SAR government said it will make every effort to provide medical and other assistance needed in the affected areas and support post-disaster recovery. It called on all sectors of Macao society to extend assistance to Gyirong in Xizang and help affected residents resume normal life as soon as possible.

Chinese tunnel experts have arrived in Nepal's mudslide-hit region to assist rescue efforts at a damaged hydropower tunnel following a request from the Nepali government, the Ministry of Emergency Management announced on Saturday.

Departing by helicopter from Gyirong county in Xizang autonomous region, which lies just across the Nepali border, the first group of five Chinese tunnel specialists arrived at the disaster site in Nepal late Saturday afternoon and immediately began rescue operations at the tunnel. Gyirong county also suffered heavy losses as a result of the mudslide.

To reinforce the team and meet operational needs, Chinese authorities are rushing an additional four experienced tunnel experts to Nepal, a ministry statement said.

Emergency response and power supply restoration efforts are continuing after the severe mudslide at Gyirong border port in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, according to the Shigatse branch of the State Grid Xizang Electric Power Company.

As of 9 am on Saturday, one tower base station had begun supplying power to the newly constructed emergency warehouse, two key parking lots, and 32 resettlement tents at the relocation site in Gyirong township.

Maintenance personnel were dispatched for inspections of equipment, substations and power supply lines, according to the company, dealing with three hazards through live-line work.

A total of 29 ground inspection teams were deployed, using a combination of drone aerial inspections and manual ground verification to conduct four special inspections and one infrared temperature measurement on 48 road crossings and densely populated areas.

Maintenance of the port power station channels and black-start drills were also completed.

A total of 126 repair personnel, 13 generator trucks, 52 generators and 48 lighting equipment units had arrived in the township by Saturday, with another 16 lighting devices supplied by the company on standby in Gyirong county.

HONG KONG -- John Lee Ka-chiu, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said on Saturday that HK$50 million ($6.37 million) has been earmarked from the Disaster Relief Fund following a mudslide that hit the Gyirong Port in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region.

In a post on social media, Lee expressed deep sadness over the disaster, mourning the victims and extending his sincere sympathies to those affected and the bereaved families.

Lee hoped that the rescue operations would proceed safely and smoothly, and that the affected residents would receive timely support to overcome the hardships.

He added that the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee will process funding applications expeditiously.

"Is anyone there?" In Gyirong county, Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, rescue workers are calling out for signs of life, their voices echoing around the mudslide-devastated valleys.

Days after a mudslide tore through Gyirong Port in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, search and rescue teams are racing against difficult and hazardous terrain to comb through core areas, maintaining continuous and uninterrupted operations.

After a mudslide struck Gyirong border port, Shigatse, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, engineering crews made robust efforts to reinforce power facilities, ensuring uninterrupted telecommunication connections for rescue operations.

Comprehensive efforts are in motion to reestablish road connectivity to Gyirong Port in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, following a devastating mudslide originating in Nepal.

The calamity has inflicted severe damage on the G216 highway, the main access route to the port, creating significant obstacles for rescue and relief operations.

Zhu Feng, chief engineer at China Anneng Construction Group's Chengdu rescue base, said on Saturday that they deployed 60 technicians and 28 pieces of heavy equipment, including excavators and loaders, to the affected area on the G216 highway leading to the port.

Following a disaster risk assessment and monitoring of surrounding hazards, members from the group, a State-owned engineering and rescue enterprise, commenced operations to clear a 2-kilometer damaged section near the port, with the goal of facilitating the efficient implementation of subsequent rescue and disposal efforts, Zhu added.

On Aug 29, a massive mudslide cut off Highway G216 near Gyirong Port, Gyirong county in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region. To secure this vital rescue passage, the State-owned engineering and rescue enterprise China Anneng Construction Group has deployed 60 specialists and 28 sets of machinery to reopen the roughly 2-kilometer road, with the company’s teams assessing and monitoring potential risks and hazards.

Efforts to reinforce power and base station infrastructure are advancing to ensure uninterrupted communication for rescue operations following a severe mudslide at a border port in Gyirong county in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region.

On Saturday morning, engineering crews shored up power facilities, guaranteeing uninterrupted telecommunications connections for relief operations.

"Our goal is to ensure that communications keep pace with road clearance, rolling out power facilities and network coverage simultaneously, so that the telecommunications network truly becomes a lifeline for rescue and relief operations," said Kelsang Norbu, manager of the operations and maintenance department for China Tower's Xizang branch, one of the world's largest telecommunications tower infrastructure service providers.

He told China Daily that the immediate priority on Saturday was strengthening auxiliary infrastructure, particularly boosting power supply to facilitate broader network coverage. The team working on reinforcing communication links include members from China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom.

Days after a mudslide tore through Gyirong Port, Xizang autonomous region, search and rescue teams are racing against difficult and hazardous terrain to comb through core areas, maintaining continuous and uninterrupted operations. On Saturday morning, the rescue teams dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Fire and Rescue Administration, continued to search through debris at the mudslide-hit site near Gyirong Port.