Netizens hail officers stranded at Gyirong Port

Thousands of netizens have left messages of support on the social media account of the local border inspection station in the Xizang autonomous region, after a mudslide originating in Nepal hit Gyirong Port in Shigatse on Wednesday, leaving personnel out of contact.

The official WeChat account of the Xizang general station of entry and exit border inspection, which oversees Gyirong Port, said on Saturday that it had been inundated with messages, prayers and good wishes from netizens across the country since Wednesday.

The post also featured a short video of officers at Gyirong Port. As of Sunday afternoon, the video had received about 130,000 likes, been forwarded over 11,200 times and had about 12,000 comments.

One netizen, with the username "Nanshanxianke", commented on the video: "They (the station officers) guard the nation's gateway with their lives." Others responded with prayers, saying, "May a miracle be with them, and may they all return safely."

"They are the pillars of their families. This is a tragedy for so many households," wrote a netizen named "Hezhouhuaer".

Another user, "Wuxibancaijiejie", posted a photo of a young woman in uniform sitting on a sofa, with a caption that read: "We are all waiting for you to come back. You have never made us worry during your more than a decade of service at the border. We believe you will return safely this time too. Your 1-year-old son calls out 'mom' every day."

Netizen "Yanjun" wrote: "Tears welled up in my eyes. Though we are strangers to one another, our hearts are connected. You are the people I respect the most."

The station concluded the post with an appeal for hope: "We seek no grand ode to heroism — only a miracle that endures. May it come, and may our fellow officers return safely."

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn