Lagatar24 Desk
Beijing: A devastating landslide struck the China-Nepal border in Tibet’s Gyirong county on Wednesday, causing major casualties and leaving several people missing at the Gyirong Port, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, with the disaster beginning on the Nepalese side before sweeping into the key border crossing in China.
Landslide Sweeps Through Border Crossing Within Seconds
The landslide occurred around 10:30 am local time, with devastating footage showing people scrambling to safety as a massive wall of mud, water and debris tore through the Gyirong Port. CCTV visuals captured roads and buildings being inundated within seconds, as floodwaters and debris swept through parts of the crossing. Authorities closed roads leading to the checkpoint for seven days as rescue operations continued, with the destruction cutting off road access and knocking out power and communications on the Chinese side.
Xi Jinping Orders All-Out Rescue Operation
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered an all-out search and rescue effort in response to the disaster, with authorities warning of major casualties and continuing to search for missing individuals.
Nepal Reports Hundreds Missing, Including Indian Nationals
Across the border in Nepal, flash floods triggered by the disaster destroyed villages, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure. Nepal’s Tourism Board initially reported 384 travellers missing, including 291 foreign nationals, with at least 105 Indians among those unaccounted for. The situation remained fluid throughout the day, with the death toll rising and authorities cautioning that the full scale of casualties and destruction was still being assessed.
China Deploys 200 Rescuers with Advanced Equipment
China has dispatched approximately 200 rescuers, along with geologists and engineers, to the disaster site, with additional personnel on standby. According to Xinhua, rescue teams brought heavy machinery, reconnaissance drones, 3D laser scanners and life-detection equipment to aid the search.
Disaster Disrupts Key China-Nepal Trade Corridor
Gyirong Port serves as Tibet’s main foreign trade gateway and handles the bulk of China’s trade with Nepal. Two-way freight and passenger clearance had resumed at the port in 2022 following the Covid-19 pandemic, and it has since become a major route for Chinese exports to Nepal, including electric vehicles. The landslide has also disrupted a strategically significant trade corridor between the two countries, which have been developing a broader Trans-Himalayan connectivity network under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, with trade and transit currently permitted through six border points, five of them located in Shigatse.
