BEIJING, Sept. 8 (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:
-- Forty-three people had been confirmed dead and 519 others remained missing as of 6 p.m. Saturday. A total of 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries have been identified as being among those missing.
-- The identities of some of the victims have been confirmed. So far, none of the bodies retrieved are foreign nationals.
Yang Lahong, deputy director of the foreign affairs office of Xizang, said at a briefing that the names and specific information of missing foreigners have not been made public to protect their privacy, but have been shared with the relevant embassies through diplomatic channels.
A 24-hour hotline for families of missing foreign nationals has received 509 calls, with feedback provided promptly, Yang added.
-- A dedicated identification team has been set up. More than 60 forensic specialists have been dispatched to the site, with three dedicated laboratories equipped with advanced instruments now in operation.
For identification, each body is numbered, photographed and sampled for DNA and dental records at the scene.
-- Green channels for foreign personnel entry and exit have been opened. A total of 3,388 foreign nationals originally planning to leave via Gyirong Port have been diverted, and authorities have helped 365 Nepalese border residents cross the border to return home.
-- Preventing secondary disasters remains a priority. More than 170 experts and technicians are now monitoring the area with over 150 sets of equipment, including slope radar and drones.
Along the main rescue route, 58 geological hazard spots have been identified, seven of them high-risk. ■
