To date, the Chinese government has recorded 16 people dead and another 546 missing in the region of the Gyirong (or Jilong) border post, in the Xizang Autonomous Region (Tibet), after a mudslide originating on the Nepalese side hit the area on the morning of August 26, according to information from the regional government released at a press conference last Sunday (30). Gyirong post is in Shigatse prefecture on the southern border of Xizang.
Among the 546 missing, the regional government identified 261 foreigners from 23 countries, whose embassies and consulates were informed.
Rescue
Chinese authorities mobilized 2,141 soldiers and agents for the searches, with 269 vehicles and 3,922 sets of equipment, according to the local government. Participating in the operation are the People’s Liberation Army, the Chinese People’s Armed Police, the People’s Police, the Chinese National Rescue Team and the Border Troops.
The landslide blocked National Highway G216, the main land access to the Gyirong post, in addition to cutting off electricity and communications in the area. On Monday morning (31), teams from China Anneng Group, a state-owned company specializing in infrastructure works and disaster response, cleared another 508 meters of the road. The route was reopened up to 1.2 kilometers from the border gate, according to the China Daily.
Origin of the disaster
The disaster was caused by the collapse of a glacier on the Langtang Lirung peak in Nepal, at an altitude of around 5,200 meters. This generated an avalanche that swept away tons of rock and debris.
The avalanche reached the Donglin Zangbo, a river on the Chinese side of the border, and destroyed 27 buildings at the border post, including the main customs building.
Missing foreigners
Among the 261 foreigners missing on the Chinese side, there are citizens of Nepal (104), India (49), Latvia (33), the USA (18), the United Kingdom (15) and 18 other countries.
On the Nepalese side, the National Authority for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management of Nepal records 903 deaths and 4,247 missing, including 592 foreigners.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
