At the request of the Nepalese government, China's Ministry of Emergency Management has urgently dispatched five Chinese tunnel experts to Nepal. They traveled by helicopter from Gyirong, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, and arrived in the disaster-affected area in Nepal at 4:58 pm Beijing Time on Saturday, immediately joining the rescue efforts at a hydropower station tunnel, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Meanwhile, in response to the needs of the rescue operation, an additional four Chinese tunnel experts were urgently dispatched to Nepal to provide full support for the country's tunnel rescue efforts.

The mudslide struck Gyirong Port, a major China-Nepal land border crossing in Xizang, on Wednesday morning. It was triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse on the Nepalese side, and experts warned that such glacial disasters are becoming more frequent and severe amid global warming.

Previously, in a major policy shift, the Nepal government has reversed its earlier decision to rely solely on domestic security agencies and agreed to accept specialized foreign assistance following the catastrophic flash floods, Nepal News reported on Friday.

While domestic personnel in Nepal continue primary field operations, the government has authorized technical units from several partner countries - including China - to step in for complex missions. International experts are being deployed specifically to conduct specialized subterranean rescues in submerged hydropower tunnels and assist local laboratories with forensic body identification and mass DNA testing, the report said.

China will provide emergency aid to the disaster-hit area in Nepal and carry out international rescue cooperation, according to a Party leadership meeting on Friday to deliberate and make arrangements on rescue and relief efforts after a devastating mudslide hit Gyirong County in Xizang region, Xinhua reported.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson also said during a press conference on Thursday that the mudslide has caused massive casualties and left many missing in both China and Nepal. The Chinese side extends heartfelt sympathies to the government of Nepal and all those hit by the disaster.

"The two sides are having close communication and coordinating efforts for the search and rescue. The Chinese side is ready to provide emergency assistance in light of Nepal's need," the spokesperson continued.

As of 10 am local time on Saturday, a total of 626 bodies had been recovered from mudslide-hit areas in Nepal, according to the disaster authority. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority in Nepal said that 2,426 people were still missing as of the same time, per Xinhua.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal said on Friday that about 40 kilometers of roads had been destroyed in the landslide-affected areas of Nepal. Preliminary assessments indicate that at least 93,000 people have been affected and are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, according to CCTV News.

"Despite significant losses on the Chinese side, China has immediately coordinated emergency supplies and cash assistance to Nepal and will do its utmost to provide further support. I'm sure that by joining hands, we will overcome the difficulties and rebuild our beautiful homes," Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming said in an X post on Thursday.