Rescuers Race to Clear Highway Access to Mudslide-Hit Gyirong Port as 546 Remain Missing

GYIRONG (China), Sept 1 — Emergency personnel using heavy machinery are working round the clock to clear a major national highway to the mudslide-stricken Gyirong Port in southwest China’s Xizang region, aiming to expedite the delivery of heavy equipment and relief supplies to the disaster zone.

As of Monday noon, rescue teams from China Anneng had restored National Highway G216 to within 1.1 kilometres of the port. The deadly mudslide, which struck on Aug 26 following an ice-rock avalanche in neighboring Nepal, killed 16 people and left 546 others missing as of Saturday evening. The disaster destroyed buildings, disrupted power grids, and buried extensive sections of the road under deep mud, severely impeding initial response efforts.

More than 2,000 personnel from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the People’s Armed Police Force, and China Anneng have been mobilized for search, rescue, and infrastructure restoration. To ensure the safety of frontline crews clearing the hazardous terrain, monitoring teams are using laser-based AI devices to dynamically track mountain slope stability and detect potential secondary hazards.

Search-and-rescue teams equipped with life detectors, demolition tools, and search dogs continue to scour debris-covered riverbanks and steep mountain slopes for survivors. Despite challenging high-altitude conditions and volatile weather, emergency teams have successfully re-established telecom services by repairing damaged infrastructure and constructing eight new base stations near the border gate.

Additionally, epidemic prevention and medical units from the PLA Xizang Military Command have been deployed to conduct environmental disinfection, food and water testing, vaccinations, and psychological counseling. While China’s Ministry of Water Resources confirmed that a hazardous barrier lake formed above the port has largely drained into a flowing river channel, authorities remain on high alert as the National Meteorological Centre forecasts further rainfall in Gyirong County over the coming days.

–NMT