China intensifies rescue efforts as 558 remain missing after Tibet mudslide

China has intensified a massive search-and-rescue operation after a mudslide and flash flood struck the Gyirong border area in Tibet, leaving at least three people dead and hundreds missing.

According to the latest official update from authorities in Shigatse, 558 people remain missing on the Chinese side, while two survivors have been rescued. The figure is higher than the initial estimate of 265 missing as authorities expanded their assessment of the disaster. 

The mudslide occurred at around 10:30 am on Wednesday after a landslide on the Nepalese side swept towards Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, causing extensive destruction and cutting vital transport and communication links.

The disaster is part of a much wider catastrophe along the Nepal-China border. Reuters reported on Thursday that at least 162 people had died in Nepal, with hundreds more missing, while rescue teams continued searching for survivors on both sides of the border. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered authorities to make every effort to locate missing people, evacuate residents in danger and prevent further loss of life. Officials have also warned of the risk of secondary disasters as rescue operations continue in unstable terrain. 

China has rapidly expanded its emergency response. More than 1,500 personnel, including firefighters, military personnel and engineering teams, have been mobilised, according to reports. A barrier lake has also reportedly formed near the port, adding another danger for rescuers working in the disaster zone. 

The People’s Liberation Army’s Western Theatre Command has also joined the operation. A command group was flown to Tibet aboard a Y-20 transport aircraft on Thursday to coordinate military rescue efforts in Gyirong County. Aviation, medical, transport and engineering units have been placed on standby. 

China has also sent a specialist rescue team to reinforce operations. Xinhua reported that 111 firefighters and rescue personnel, carrying detection, lifesaving, communications and demolition equipment, reached Dingri Airport in Tibet on Thursday morning and were travelling towards the affected area. 

Transport authorities have meanwhile deployed dozens of rescue workers and heavy machines to clear damaged roads and restore access to Gyirong. Additional personnel and equipment have been placed on standby for deployment if required. 

The disaster has severely disrupted infrastructure around the strategically important border crossing. Roads, power supplies and communications have been damaged, complicating efforts to reach isolated communities and verify the number of casualties.

On the Nepalese side, the devastation has been even broader. Reuters reported that the disaster was triggered by the collapse of part of a glacier, possibly following seismic activity, sending an enormous torrent of ice, rock, mud and water through settlements in Nepal's Rasuwa and Dhading districts and into Tibet. 

The disaster has also raised concern in India, particularly because of the movement of floodwaters through river systems downstream. The Indian Embassy in China has issued an advisory providing contact points for Indians stranded or affected in the Tibet-Nepal border region.

With rescue teams still clearing debris and assessing damaged areas, authorities caution that casualty figures could change further. The scale of destruction across the Himalayan border region is only beginning to emerge as rescuers race against time to find survivors.

With agency inputs