BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A fast-moving chain mudslide, triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal, struck Gyirong Port on the China-Nepal border in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Aug. 26, causing heavy casualties and leaving many missing.
Chinese rescuers immediately launched an all-out effort to reach the mudslide-hit port area and search for the missing. Here is what we know about the deadly mudslide and the latest rescue and relief progress in China:
-- Sixteen people have been confirmed dead and 546 others remain missing as of 6 p.m. Saturday, according to the regional government.
-- A total of 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries have been identified as unaccounted for. The figure was announced on Sunday morning at a press 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.
-- At the press conference, the regional government noted that the mudslide was triggered by an ice-rock avalanche originating from a high-mountain glacier in Nepal.
A glacier on Mount Langtang Lirung in Nepal fractured at an altitude of about 5,200 meters, triggering the ice-rock avalanche. The avalanche plunged rapidly to an altitude of around 4,000 meters, scouring the mountainside and developing into a massive debris flow, which surged about 22 kilometers before reaching Gyirong Port at an altitude of around 1,800 meters.
-- A total of 2,141 personnel have joined search and rescue operations, including personnel from the People's Liberation Army, the People's Armed Police Force, and China Anneng, a state-owned engineering and rescue enterprise. And 269 rescue vehicles and 3,922 sets of rescue equipment have also been dispatched to the front line.
-- The barrier lake above Gyirong Port has basically drained, forming a flowing state of the river channel, China's Ministry of Water Resources said Sunday, citing drone footage and panoramic images captured in the morning and reports from emergency response teams.
-- Communications have been restored at the core rescue site, as successful phone calls have been made with rescuers at the port via a newly-built base station on Sunday, according to the regional communications administration.
The first emergency base station adjacent to the border gate of Gyirong Port was put into operation at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Up to now, telecom operators in Xizang have restored one damaged base station and built eight new ones near the port.
-- On Sunday morning, the People's Liberation Army Xizang Military Command mobilized an epidemic prevention team to the disaster-hit area to carry out environmental disinfection, food and water quality testing, emergency vaccinations, and routine medical rounds for injuries and illnesses. This relief mission also included psychological support personnel, who will regularly provide psychological counseling for rescuers and the disaster-affected local residents.
-- China has provided emergency humanitarian assistance to Nepal, the China International Development Cooperation Agency said on Sunday.
At present, Chinese aid supplies have been delivered to Kathmandu, tunnel rescue experts have arrived at the disaster-stricken area in Nepal, and the Chinese side is simultaneously sharing important information such as images, satellite and hydrological data of the disaster area.
-- Gyirong County is expected to see more rainfall in the coming days, with significant nighttime precipitation, the National Meteorological Center said on Sunday. ■
