Chinese rescue work in Tibet flood disaster zone still trudging along days later
Reopening the China-Nepal border crossing has been a battle against the elements, with rescuers working in a narrow gorge between crumbling cliffs and a raging river.
On Tuesday, Chinese rescue teams continued laboring through the night and enduring relentless rain to repair the final kilometer of the sole road leading to the Gyirong border crossing in Tibet, which was torn apart by a devastating mudslide last week. Reopening this critical border access point has been a struggle against the elements, with rescuers navigating a narrow mountain gorge sandwiched between crumbling cliffs and a raging river.
River currents flowed at a rapid 6 to 7 meters per second, up to six times normal river speeds, forcing efforts to rebuild the road to be repeatedly overwhelmed by the rapids, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The vital National Highway 216, running along the Gyirong Tsangpo river to the border, was obliterated when debris backflow surged from the direction of the border crossing complex. Road repairs commenced on Wednesday, following a glacier collapse that sent mudslides and floods through river systems in both Nepal and China. Lakes formed on the Tibetan side from debris flushed down from the glacier collapse have naturally drained out, but landslide risk and a volatile body of water upstream in Nepal could still obstruct the rivers, potentially causing a sudden burst that inundates the rescue zone.
The crater left by the glacier collapse on Wednesday, estimated to hold water equal to 260 Olympic swimming pools, is gradually shrinking, CCTV reported on Monday. However, authorities remain wary of a fresh glacier collapse into the crater, which could trigger another disaster. Meanwhile, forecasters caution of heavier rain through Wednesday, risking further swelling of rivers and lakes.
By Tuesday afternoon, over 60 rescuers had trekked into the disaster zone, conducting twice-over searches for survivors, CCTV reported. The scale of the mudslide's force is evident in the surrounding slopes, reaching heights of 60 meters, roughly the height of a 20-storey building. China's official tally remains unchanged from Sunday, with 16 people confirmed dead and 546 still missing.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
