GYIRONG, Xizang, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The roar of excavators echoed through the valley, punctuated by shouts from rescuers searching among mud, boulders and the remnants of buildings.
"Is anyone there?" The question has been repeated again and again over the past nine days in the mudslide-hit Gyirong Port in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.
After a chain of mudslides triggered by a glacier collapse in Nepal struck the border port on Aug. 26, which left 21 people dead and 541 others missing, rescuers have continued to trudge through deep mud in hope of finding any traces of life, despite slim chances of finding survivors.
On Wednesday morning, the land route along the G216 national highway to Gyirong Port was basically restored, allowing heavy machinery, more rescuers and relief supplies to enter the core disaster area.
The road, the only land route to the port, had been severely damaged by the mudslide and huge boulders. Some of the first firefighters to reach the port had trekked through the mountains and worked continuously for more than 40 hours.
The rescue has been hampered by the site's tough environment. The mud deposits at the hardest-hit border gate average about 4 meters in depth, with the deepest reaching 16 meters. Buildings have been largely destroyed, with the port's main building reduced to a steel skeleton.
For the rescuers, every search carries risks. Rain has caused water levels in the river to rise, while the surrounding mountains remain vulnerable to further landslides and rock or ice collapses.
Huo Jianxin, head of the land search and rescue team of the Sichuan provincial fire and rescue corps, repeatedly bent low and searched gaps and corners where signs of life might remain, often resorting to shouting as mud and water interfered with detection equipment.
In some sections, rescuers have had to crawl on their knees because the ground is too unstable. Others have sunk waist-deep into the mud and been pulled out by their teammates with ropes.
Rescuers have also collected, cleaned, registered, and sealed all suspected personal belongings of the deceased and the missing to facilitate identification and handover. As of Wednesday noon, 847 items had been recovered.
"Anything that may have belonged to a missing person is meaningful," said Yao Xueqin, deputy head of the Lhasa mobile fire and rescue detachment.
Rescue teams have operated around the clock, with personnel rotating, while machinery continues to operate. After returning to their base late at night, many rescuers remove their boots to find swollen feet covered with blisters.
As of Wednesday noon, more than 2,300 rescuers had been deployed. Multiple rounds of grid and blanket searches have been completed, covering a total area of about 1.59 million square meters.
"We won't give up as long as there is even the slightest hope," said Xu Changming with the Sichuan provincial fire and rescue corps.
With the road reopened, large machinery is being used to clear obstacles and create working areas, followed closely by specialized firefighters conducting targeted searches and life-detection equipment verifying suspicious locations.
At a media conference on Wednesday, Ren Wei, executive vice chairman of the Xizang people's government, said the next stage will build on previous shallow searches by using specialized instruments and equipment for deeper searches.
The risks of secondary disasters remain. The Ministry of Water Resources warned that moderate rain is expected around Gyirong Port from Sept. 2 to 4, urging frontline rescuers to closely monitor rainfall and river conditions and prepare for timely evacuation.
Further ice collapses and small-scale landslides remain possible, posing a risk of renewed flooding or the formation of new barrier lakes, the ministry added.
A red flag now stands at the site of the former border port, where rescue teams continue their search among the debris.
On the night of the mudslide, a mobile kitchen brought by the Dingri County logistics service center, based in Xizang's Dingri County, arrived in Gyirong Town, following Dingri's own recent disaster in January 2025, when a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck.
"Last year, people across the country helped Dingri after the earthquake," said Cering Sangzhub, director of the service center. "Now Gyirong has suffered a mudslide, so we came on the first day. We prepare nearly 400 free hot meals every day for the hope that everyone involved in the rescue can have something warm to eat." ■
