43 dead, 519 missing after mudslide hits border port in China's Xizang

GYIRONG, Xizang -- Forty-three people had been confirmed dead and 519 others remained missing as of 6 pm Saturday after a mudslide struck Gyirong Port on the China-Nepal border in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Aug 26, local emergency response and rescue authorities said on Sunday.

A total of 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries have been identified as being among the missing, officials told a press conference attended by domestic and foreign journalists.

The press conference was held after journalists from overseas media outlets visited the mudslide site at Gyirong Port over the weekend.

China launched a massive search and rescue operation after the deadly mudslide, which was triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal.

As of 6 pm Saturday, China has deployed more than 2,500 people and over 500 vehicles to join rescue operations. Drones have conducted more than 1,000 flights, and 5.43 tonnes of supplies have been air-dropped.

Local authorities have provided assistance to 1,720 Nepalese border residents in Gyirong. Many Nepalese nationals who work or do business in Gyirong were stranded there after the mudslide destroyed the border port, through which they normally enter and leave China.

China has also provided Nepal with daily updates on meteorological, hydrological and glacier data through a disaster information notification mechanism, according to officials.