Multi-pronged rescue efforts under way after fatal mudslide hits China's Xizang border

This photo taken on Aug. 28, 2026 shows rescue operations underway at the mudslide-hit area. Emergency rescue operations have been carried out in an orderly and well-coordinated manner after a mudslide struck Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Wednesday morning. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

GYIRONG, Xizang, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Search and rescue intensified Friday at the mudslide-stricken border port of Gyirong in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region as rescue personnel raced against time to save lives.

As of 10 a.m. Friday, a total of 681 fire and rescue personnel and 113 vehicles have arrived at the remote mountainous border area, while 6,612 pieces of rescue equipment and logistical supplies have been dispatched to Gyirong Township, according to the National Fire and Rescue Administration.

The mudslide, which occurred on the Nepalese side, struck Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, Xizang, on Wednesday morning. As of 8 a.m. on Thursday, three people had been killed, 558 remained missing, while two local villagers had been rescued.

The first team of 141 rescuers, as well as a high-altitude helicopter, arrived at the port on Thursday morning. Another batch of 111 rescuers from the China Search and Rescue team reached Gyirong County Thursday afternoon.

The fire and rescue personnel have formed three specialized teams for search and rescue operations: entering by rubber boats on waterways, traveling on foot through mountainous terrain, and conducting aerial reconnaissance and supply drops with drones.

An advance team has also been sent to the core disaster area to conduct mapping, reconnaissance and targeted monitoring of both the site and the barrier lake using drones and telescopes.

A total of 13 experts from the Shanghai Fire Research Institute of the Ministry of Emergency Management have also arrived at the site.

China Anneng, a state-owned engineering and rescue enterprise, sent out a 15-member team on Friday with reconnaissance drones, portable satellite stations and mobile surveillance cameras to conduct on-site surveys of the blockage and surrounding roads to provide accurate data for efforts to address the barrier lake.

The debris accumulated about 3 km upstream of the port can only be safely cleared once the risk posed by the blockage has been resolved, according to rescue personnel at the site.

A large unmanned aerial vehicle lifts supplies at the mudslide-affected area on Aug. 28, 2026.

Emergency rescue operations have been carried out in an orderly and well-coordinated manner after a mudslide struck Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Wednesday morning. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

This screenshot from a video clip taken on Aug. 28, 2026 shows rescue operations underway at the mudslide-hit area.

This photo taken on Aug. 28, 2026 shows rescue operations underway at the mudslide-hit area.

This screenshot from a video clip taken on Aug. 28, 2026 shows rescue operations underway at the mudslide-affected area.

Rescuers carry inflatable rescue boats to the mudslide-hit area on Aug. 28, 2026.