Rainfall forecast in mudslide-hit Gyirong Port as rescue efforts continue

Moderate rainfall was forecast for the mudslide-devastated Gyirong Port area in China's Xizang autonomous region on Wednesday as rescue efforts proceed in the wake of the deadly natural disaster along the China-Nepal border, with major hidden risks still present in nearby watercourses.

The total accumulated precipitation is expected to reach 30 to 50 millimeters, with rainfall expected to last until Friday, the ministry said in a media release on Wednesday.

It said the rainfall is likely to push up water levels along the Gyirong Tsangpo River, raising the flow rate in the Gyirong Port section of the watercourse to about 150 to 300 cubic meters per second.

The ministry didn't disclose the current flow rate in the section, but said a monitoring station 7 kilometers upstream of the port stood at 91.7 cubic meters per second at 1 pm on Wednesday.

The ministry urged frontline rescue personnel in the area to closely monitor real-time rainfall and changes in river conditions.

Workers were advised to prepare in advance for evacuation and flood-risk mitigation.

The ministry warned that, based on consistent drone monitoring and satellite imagery analysis, there remain major hidden risks around the mudslide-stricken area.

It said glaciers around a nearby scour pit in Nepal's Chhochen Khola River, which converges with the Purepu Tsangpo River in China, face potential collapse.

It said small-scale landslides have been detected along the downstream reach of a barrier lake on the Purepu Tsangpo, heightening the risk of slope collapse that may form new barrier lakes.

According to authorities, the mudslide originating in Nepal has left 21 dead and 541 missing in the port.