Emergency telecommunications teams in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region have restored one damaged base station and deployed two new ones in the mudslide-affected Gyirong Port area in Gyirong county, Shigatse, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Thursday.

The National Health Commission said on Thursday that it has mobilized medical and psychological relief for areas in Xizang autonomous region affected by a devastating mudslide that struck the Gyirong border port on Wednesday morning.

The commission said it has dispatched officials to Xizang to oversee medical rescue and emergency operations, and coordinated with regional authorities to deploy healthcare resources.

Personnel from the People's Hospital of Xizang autonomous region and the regional center for disease control and prevention have been sent to affected areas, along with emergency supplies, disinfection materials and specialized vehicles.

Ambulances, medical staff and psychological workers from Gyirong county and neighboring counties in Shigatse city have been dispatched to mudslide-hit areas to address frontline needs.

Xizang has activated a 24-hour psychological assistance hotline, while additional hospitals have been put on standby, with blood supply support secured.

Several national-level emergency medical rescue teams are also on standby to reinforce frontline care, while medical contingency work continues.

China's Ministry of Water Resources said that a significant barrier lake has 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 and the lake already overflowing.

The ministry said another 3 million cubic meters of water is expected to flow into the lake over the next three days, making the risk of a breach high, China Central Television quoted a source from the ministry as saying on Thursday.

According to the source, the ministry is closely monitoring the lake's development and conducting calculations and analyses on a possible outburst flood to support emergency rescue and relief work.

The lake formation comes after a mudslide that began in Nepal on Wednesday morning and caused heavy casualties and large numbers of missing persons at Gyirong Port in Gyirong county, Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region.

Three people had been confirmed killed, while 558 others remained missing, as of 8 am on Thursday after a mudslide struck the port along the China-Nepal border in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, Xinhua News Agency reported. Two other villagers had been rescued.

Among the missing, 260 have been identified as foreign nationals, according to Norbu Tsering, the first commander of the on-site headquarters, the report added.

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 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.

As of 8 am Thursday, two residents had been rescued, while three people were confirmed dead and 558 remained missing, according to the disaster command center in Gyirong.

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 standards and requirements for disaster prevention and infrastructure protection in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau should be higher than those in inland areas, Guo said.

The central government's first round of emergency relief supplies for the victims of yesterday's mudslide in the Xizang autonomous region arrived at a parking lot in Gyirong town at approximately 11 am on Thursday, according to Xizang TV.

Rescue workers have already unloaded the first shipment of relief materials, and the supplies will be distributed to affected residents as soon as possible, the report said.

The shipment includes 30,000 sets of items, including moisture-proof mats, tents, warm clothing, and heating stoves.

Guo Xiaohong, Party chief and director of the Xizang Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, said the supplies had departed at 3:30 pm on Wednesday after the region received the central government's dispatch notice.

"Additional vehicles are arriving successively," Guo was quoted as saying by Xizang TV. "At present, all types of relief materials, as well as grain and oil reserves, are fully stocked and adequately supplied."

A mudslide in Nepal struck the Gyirong border port in Shigatse, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, cutting off roads and communication lines and burying some buildings. At 8:20 am Thursday, the Xizang Military Command urgently dispatched two helicopters to survey the disaster zone and plan rescue routes. Watch the video for the latest updates on the rescue efforts.

GYIRONG, Xizang -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived at Gyirong township in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region Thursday afternoon, after a massive mudslide hit the area Wednesday morning.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is entrusted by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, to lead a group of senior officials from relevant departments to the disaster-hit area.

They will supervise rescue and relief operations, and visit rescue and relief personnel and people affected by the disaster.

GYIRONG, Xizang -- Residents of villages near a border port struck by a mudslide in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region have all been evacuated, according to Xizang's border inspection authorities.

The mudslide, which occurred on the Nepalese side, struck Gyirong Port in Gyirong county, Xizang, on Wednesday morning, leaving three people dead and 558 others, including 260 foreign nationals, missing, according to preliminary estimates.

In the wake of the mudslide, over 300 villagers from several villages near the port, with the assistance of rescue forces of Xizang's border inspection authorities, have been evacuated to safe places in Gyirong county for their safety.

BEIJING -- Nearly 100 Chinese nationals remain missing on the Nepalese side after Wednesday's mudslide, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press briefing on Thursday.

The Chinese embassy in Nepal is further verifying the information with the Nepalese side, Lin said.

Lin made the remarks when answering a query about the mudslide that occurred on Wednesday in Nepal, which caused heavy casualties and left many missing at Gyirong Port in Gyirong county, Rikaze city of Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region.

Noting that the mudslide has caused massive casualties and left many missing in both China and Nepal, Lin said that the Chinese side extends heartfelt sympathies to the government of Nepal and all those hit by the disaster. He added that the two sides are having close communication and coordinating efforts for the search and rescue, and the Chinese side is ready to provide emergency assistance in light of Nepal's need.

Lin said that according to the information released so far by the local Chinese authorities, a total of 260 foreign nationals remain unaccounted for in the affected areas, with more specifics pending further verification due to the conditions on the ground. He also said that for Chinese rescuers, all lives are precious, regardless of their nationalities, and the Chinese side is communicating with relevant foreign embassies in China to keep them updated.

The Chinese Embassy in Nepal has put out a safety alert. "Again we advise Chinese nationals there to move to safety and take precautions against secondary hazards. The Chinese Embassy in Nepal is available at all hours and will do its utmost to assist Chinese nationals in need," Lin said.

Rescue forces from China Anneng Construction Group have been deployed to Gyirong county in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, to conduct emergency rescue operations at a local port. A severe mudslide has disrupted roads, communications, and power supplies.

The mudslide, which occurred around 10:30 am Wednesday in Nepal, caused significant casualties after striking the Gyirong border port, a major land connection between China and Nepal in Shigatse. As of 8 am Thursday, the disaster has resulted in three deaths and 558 people reported missing.

Following the disaster, China Anneng group, a State-owned engineering and rescue enterprise, activated its emergency response mechanism as directed by the Ministry of Emergency Management. A total of 310 technical experts and rescue personnel, including specialists in geology and engineering, were quickly mobilized from cities such as Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Lhasa, the group said.

The rescue team brought with them 120 sets of advanced, purpose-built equipment, including multifunctional survey drones, 3D laser scanners, life-detection devices, large excavators, and loaders, as they rushed to the affected area for relief operations. The 310 rescuers and 120 sets of equipment are expected to arrive at the disaster site on Thursday afternoon, it said.

An eight-member advance team from the group's engineering rescue base in Lhasa, equipped with communication and detection gear, arrived in the county early Thursday morning. Under the direction of the frontline rescue command center, the team has been tasked with advancing to the upstream barrier lake and conducting aerial surveys and 3D modeling using portable satellite stations, reconnaissance drones, and 3D laser scanners.

The operation aims to gather key data, including the properties of surrounding rock, and the dam's dimensions and flow velocity, to provide scientific data support for subsequent barrier lake disposal efforts. The top priority, according to a frontline rescuer, is to neutralize the threat posed by the upstream barrier lake. Only once that danger is mitigated can safe conditions be established for clearing sediment accumulation approximately three kilometers upstream of the border crossing, it said.

A national-level specialized comprehensive emergency response force has arrived in Gyirong county in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, to reinforce relief efforts after a mudslide that claimed three lives and left 558 others missing, Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

The China Search and Rescue Team arrived in the county at 2:28 pm on Thursday to bolster local emergency efforts and will continue advancing to the Gyirong border port, which has been more severely affected by the mudslide, to carry out rescue operations, the agency said.

The mudslide in Nepal struck the Gyirong border port, a major land port linking China and Nepal in Shigatse, at around 10:30 am on Wednesday. As of 8 am on Thursday, it has left three dead and 558 missing, authorities said.

GYIRONG -- The first team of 141 rescuers has arrived at the mudslide-stricken border port of Gyirong in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Thursday morning after the disaster caused significant casualties along the China-Nepal border, according to China's Ministry of Emergency Management.

A high-altitude helicopter has also arrived at the disaster-hit area, the ministry said.

The mudslide struck Gyirong Port in Gyirong county, Xizang, on Wednesday morning. As of 8 am on Thursday, three people had been killed, 558 others remained missing, while two local villagers had been rescued, local authorities said.

Another batch of 111 rescuers from the China Search and Rescue team has arrived at Gyirong county as of 2:28 pm Thursday, and will head to Gyirong Port to carry out rescue operations.

An eight-member advance team from China Anneng, a State-owned engineering and rescue enterprise, arrived in Gyirong county early Thursday with communications and detection equipment to collect key data and support efforts to address an upstream blockage, which is a top priority.

Only after the risk posed by the blockage is addressed can the debris accumulated about 3 km upstream of the port be safely cleared, according to rescue personnel at the site.

Hundreds more rescuers, carrying equipment and supplies for detection, rescue, communications and logistical support, are rushing to the site.

The guidance team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Western Theater Command arrived at a high-altitude airport in the Xizang autonomous region aboard a Y-20 transport aircraft at around 10:30 am on Thursday to join rescue efforts following a mudslide that struck Gyirong county in Shigatse on Wednesday.

The guidance team then immediately traveled to the disaster site to strengthen command of the rescue operation.

The Y-20 carrying the team took off on Thursday morning. The team will organize a joint rescue operation involving PLA personnel in Gyirong county.

The Red Cross Society of China has sent a working group and relief supplies to regions affected by a mudslide that struck Gyirong border port in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Wednesday morning.

The working group was sent on Wednesday evening, along with a total of 2,500 units of relief materials, including tents, family kits, hygiene packs, quilts, folding beds, and winter jackets.

In addition, the Chinese Red Cross Foundation has provided more than 5,500 boxes of bottled water, instant noodles, ham sausages, and milk to support the temporary resettlement and basic living needs of affected communities.

A 111-member elite fire and rescue team arrived in Dingri county, Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, at around 8 am Thursday. They are en route by road to the worst-hit area after a mudslide disaster left three people dead and 558 others missing.

Dispatched by the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Fire and Rescue Administration, the team brought over 500 sets of equipment for detection, life-saving, demolition, communications, and medical support, along with four search-and-rescue dogs.

The mudslide occurred at around 10:30 am Wednesday on the Nepalese side of the border, causing major casualties and missing persons at Gyirong port in Gyirong county, Shigatse.

As of 8 am Thursday, two people had been rescued, three were confirmed dead, and the number of missing had been updated to 558, including 260 foreign nationals. The figures are still being verified, according to local authorities.

In response, the Xizang regional disaster prevention, reduction, and relief commission activated a Level-I regional natural disaster relief emergency response, with rescue forces rapidly assembled and sent to the disaster site.

On Aug 26, a mudslide in Nepal struck the Gyirong border port in Shigatse, Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region, cutting off roads and communication lines, with some buildings buried.

The Shigatse detachment of the People's Armed Police Force Xizang Contingent quickly mobilized over 140 personnel with over 200 sets of rescue equipment to the disaster zone.

Continuous rainfall brought secondary mudslide risks, halting the advance of main forces and heavy equipment. Elite teams were dispatched to clear debris and reinforce slopes, racing to reopen vital roads.

Rescuers are prepared for continuous operations. Once conditions allow, they will push into the core affected zone to search for the missing, evacuate stranded residents and prevent secondary hazards, in an all-out effort to safeguard people's lives and property.

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.

Rescue teams are racing to a mudslide-stricken border port in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region after the disaster caused significant casualties across the China-Nepal border on Wednesday. 

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Three people were confirmed dead, 558 missing and two villagers were rescued as of 8 am Thursday after a mudslide hit Gyirong county in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, local authorities said at a news conference on Thursday.

Among the total number of the dead and the missing, 260 are foreign nationals. These figures were released by the front-line command center after preliminary verification, Norbu Tsering, commander-in-chief of the frontline command for the Gyirong mudslide disaster, said.

The mudslide, which occurred at around 10:30 am on Wednesday in Nepal, caused significant casualties and left many missing after impacting the Gyirong border port, a key land connection between China and Nepal.

All rescue operations are currently underway in an active and orderly manner, Norbu Tsering said.