BEIJING, Sept. 3 (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 all-out search and rescue operations. Here is what we know about the deadly mudslide and the latest progress in China:
-- Twenty-one people have been confirmed dead and 541 others remain missing after the mudslide struck the border port, according to the regional government's latest news briefing.
-- An ice-rock avalanche originating from a high-mountain glacier in Nepal has been identified as the cause of the mudslide.
-- Rescuers have recovered 847 pieces of personal belongings, according to the news briefing. Local authorities have received 876 phone calls from the relatives of the victims and missing people, and have been promptly replying to their requests.
-- To date, some 2,300 rescue personnel, more than 400 search and rescue vehicles, over 8,000 sets of professional equipment, over 800 drone flights and 24 helicopter flights have been deployed. A total of 5.43 tonnes of materials and equipment have been airdropped to the area.
-- Telecom operators have restored 12 base stations in the port area, ensuring communications for emergency command, rescue operations and supply coordination.
-- At the core affected zone, some 336 rescuers have conducted multiple rounds of thorough and exhaustive search and rescue operations, covering a cumulative area of 1.591 million square meters.
-- Road access to the zone was basically restored at 10 a.m. Wednesday after days of round-the-clock repair work on the G216. Over 10 pieces of heavy machinery have entered the core area to aid on-site rescuers.
-- China will continue to share information on barrier lake risks, glacial lake risks and emergency hydrological monitoring with Nepal to support disaster rescue and relief efforts, an official with the Ministry of Water Resources said Wednesday.
The ministry is now providing Nepal with daily updates on the development of a barrier lake above Gyirong Port, cascading risks associated with the Cuojian River impact crater in Nepal, glacial lake risks in the Gyirong Zangbo River basin, the development and risk forecasts of new barrier lakes, and emergency hydrological monitoring.
The geological conditions in Gyirong disaster-hit area remain highly unstable, with risks of further landslides, rockfalls and other secondary hazards, the ministry warned. The large number of glacial lakes in the surrounding area is also adding to the uncertainty.
-- China's meteorological authorities have been providing Nepal with weather monitoring, forecasting, early warning and impact services after the mudslide, said Wang Yawei, a spokesperson for the China Meteorological Administration, on Wednesday.
Wang said at a press conference that the administration held video weather consultations with Nepal's meteorological department immediately after the disaster, and has actively provided meteorological support for Nepal's rescue and relief operations.
-- Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing that China is preparing a third batch of emergency relief supplies, including Bailey bridges, epidemic prevention materials and emergency communications equipment. China is ready to send a second group of DNA identification experts based on Nepal's needs, he added. ■
