BEIJING — A catastrophic mudslide triggered by flash flooding near the China-Nepal border has left at least three people dead and nearly 590 missing in the Tibet Autonomous Region, state media reported on Thursday.
The landslide, which originated on the Nepalese side of the border on Wednesday morning, swept down into Gyirong County, heavily damaging infrastructure and isolating communities around the vital Gyirong Port trade crossing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered an all-out search and rescue effort to locate survivors and provide emergency relief to affected villagers. By Thursday morning, emergency crews had successfully rescued two local residents from the debris, but hundreds remain unaccounted for as rescue teams battle difficult terrain and mud-choked access roads.
In response to the growing crisis, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theatre Command—which oversees the border region—dispatched a high-level directing group aboard Y-20 military transport aircraft to take unified command of field operations. Military units, including engineering, medical, transport, and aviation corps, have been mobilized alongside local Armed Police forces to clear blocked roads, conduct aerial assessments, and coordinate mass evacuations.
The torrential weather that triggered the disaster has caused widespread destruction across the broader Himalayan region, impacting neighboring Nepal as well.
With significant cross-border travel and trade in the region, the Indian Embassy in China issued an urgent advisory detailing emergency contact numbers and support channels for Indian nationals stranded in the affected border zone.
Rescue operations remain active as military and civilian relief teams work around the clock to navigate unstable terrain in search of missing residents.
