Search near Gyirong Port goes deeper, more targeted

Fire and rescue teams are expanding detailed searches across the core disaster area around Gyirong Port in Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region, after the main land route was reopened, allowing heavy machinery to support deeper excavation and searches, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Thursday.

National Highway G216 was fully reopened to the core area on Wednesday morning. Rescue personnel, supplies and heavy equipment have since moved in, shifting operations from largely manual surface searches to deeper and more targeted searches.

The State Grid announced that after power crews worked around the clock, temporary power lines to the core area of Gyirong Port were fully restored on Thursday evening, ensuring electricity supplies for rescue and relief operations in the area.

The mudslide struck Gyirong Port on Aug 26 after originating on the Nepalese side of the China-Nepal border. As of noon on Wednesday, 21 victims had been found and 541 people remained missing.

The disaster also knocked local base stations out of service, severed sections of main power lines and cut roads, electricity and communications to the hardest-hit area.

After days of repairs, communications for emergency command, rescue operations and supply dispatch have been restored, with full 5G coverage now available in the core disaster area. Power crews are also extending electricity lines deeper into the area, local authorities said.

Mud and debris in the core area average about 4 meters deep and reach up to 16 meters in some places, with large rocks covering the surface.

A 195-member fire and rescue task force has been divided into three groups rotating through the core zone, focusing on areas including a parking lot and the joint inspection building. Teams are clearing and searching debris layer by layer, using life-detection equipment and search dogs to check newly exposed areas.

Since the disaster, fire and rescue forces have made 336 personnel deployments and conducted repeated searches in the core area, said the Ministry of Emergency Management.

Heavy machinery is clearing large rocks and deep deposits, allowing firefighters to follow behind and conduct more precise searches around buried buildings, rock piles and sediment-filled river sections.

Yang Qiqiao, a firefighter with the Shigatse fire and rescue detachment who was among the first rescuers to reach the disaster area on foot, told CCTV that teams initially relied mainly on manual methods, calling out for survivors, listening for responses and knocking on debris.

Search dogs and more detection equipment were added as more equipment reached the core area, he said.

Secondary-disaster prevention remains a major focus. The regional authorities said 93 experts and technical personnel are monitoring barrier lakes, the source area of the ice-rock collapse and geological hazards along the road to the border gate.

Monitoring continues for possible landslides and mudslides under continued rainfall and higher temperatures. About 150 pieces of professional equipment have been deployed, including 104 sets of slope radar, video monitoring, drones, water-level and meteorological equipment.

Rescue sites also have dedicated safety officers, evacuation signals, escape routes and safe assembly areas prepared in advance.

Search, monitoring and sanitation teams are working in shifts around the clock, with machinery continuing to operate as personnel rotate.

To support road reinforcement and deeper excavation, the Ministry of Emergency Management and the Ministry of Transport have also dispatched 40 sets of temporary roadbed panels, cranes and other equipment from a national highway emergency reserve center in Changji Hui autonomous prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The panels help prevent excavators, cranes and dump trucks from sinking in mud and soft ground. The equipment has arrived at the rescue site.

The ministry said rescue teams will continue adjusting deployments while maintaining intensive searches in the core area.

Contact the writers at yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn