GYIRONG, Xizang, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- "Is anyone there?" Rescuers crouched down together and called out in unison every few meters, as they picked their way through mud, boulders and chunks of rock.
Since Saturday morning, the members of the Sichuan provincial fire and rescue corps of the China Search and Rescue team have been carrying out a sweeping search in key areas at the mudslide-stricken border port of Gyirong in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.
The team has been searching the heart of the disaster zone, with torrents of muddy water still surging in the nearby waterway. They sifted through piles of rocks and picked through what appeared to be the wreckage of a vehicle, as seen in Xinhua video footage.
A fast-moving chain mudslide, triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse on the Nepalese side, has left seven people dead and 554 others missing at Gyirong Port in Xizang on the China-Nepal border.
RELENTLESS SEARCH, ROAD RESTORATION
China immediately sent professional rescuers, firefighters and military forces to the site to search for survivors. A total of 2,141 rescuers have joined the mission, according to the update by the region's emergency management department on early Saturday morning.
Fire and rescue personnel approached the hard-hit border gate on three fronts: by rubber boats on waterways; on foot through mountainous terrain; and conducting aerial reconnaissance and supply drops via drones.
Rescuers at the site are conducting the search while guarding against falling rocks and potential breaches of a barrier lake formed after the mudslide. Excavators were busy repairing a key road to facilitate entry into the port. A total length of 2.6 km of road section had been restored, leaving 1.7 kilometers to go before reaching Gyirong Port by around 1 p.m. Saturday.
Earlier on Saturday, drones were seen delivering supplies to rescuers already stationed in the core disaster area, launched from a supply zone three kilometers away from the mudslide-hit port.
Huo Jianxin, a member of the advance group from the China Search and Rescue team, told Xinhua on Friday night that the team would deploy drones, search dogs and life-sign detectors in search operations. The team reached the core disaster zone on Friday afternoon.
"After we saw the situation here upon arrival, my team and I had just one hope: as long as there is even the slightest chance of finding survivors, we will never give up," Huo said.
Rescuers say operations remain challenging due to the harsh terrain, the risk of secondary disasters, damaged roads and disrupted communications.
Local authorities have warned that a barrier lake, formed upstream of the port, sits in an unstable geological setting and could breach, endangering rescue operations downstream.
The mudslide has destroyed a section of the G216, a national highway leading to the port, seriously hampering emergency response and rescue efforts.
China Anneng, a state-owned engineering and rescue enterprise, deployed 60 technical and skilled personnel and mobilized 14 pieces of engineering rescue equipment, including excavators and loaders, to try to reopen the damaged section of G216.
As an important channel for China-Nepal border trade and a national first-class land port, Gyirong Port normally sees bustling commercial activity, a dense population and extensive infrastructure.
The disaster struck during daytime working hours, when crowds of people were present at the port, a factor rescuers said might have contributed to the heavy casualties.
"COMPLETELY DESTROYED"
Rescuers who reached the border gate area described the sight as devastating, as the mudslide that crushed down at terrifying speed from a high-altitude glacier left barely any structure standing.
"When we arrived, all we could see at first was mud. The ground was so soft that it was impossible to walk on," said Yin Wei, a firefighter from Gyirong County.
Yin said the border gate area was completely destroyed. The river was littered with vehicle wreckage and clothing washed down probably from upstream settlements, he recalled.
Lai Jun, another firefighter from Gyirong County, said the severity of the disaster went beyond their expectation.
"Images sent back by our drone show there was nothing left standing, not a single building. It was devastating. We kept searching for the border gate we hoped to reach, but it was gone," he said.
On Thursday morning, when a Xinhua reporting team reached a hilltop overlooking the barrier lake, a low, steady rumble filled the air.
"That's not the sound of water," a rescue expert explained. "It's rocks falling from both sides of the barrier lake and crashing down the slopes."
Xinhua video reporter Huang Zhiqi then began a live broadcast from a relatively flat ground on the hilltop. Two hours into the broadcast, just as it ended, a rescuer suddenly shouted, "Pull back! Pull back now! The landslide across the valley is intensifying."
"Abandon the vehicle! Head for the ridge!" another rescuer yelled, grabbing Huang and running uphill.
Dust billowed across the slope, thick and gray, shrouding the mountain. "That's when it really hit me that I was on the front line," Huang said. ■
