Heavy Machinery Breaches Flooded Roads to Reach Xizang Mudslide Site
Excavators reached the mudslide-hit Gyirong Port area, crossing flooded roads to begin clearing operations and open safer routes for rescuers.
Emergency crews in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region have pushed heavy machinery into the heart of the disaster zone near Gyirong Port, marking a critical step in the ongoing rescue operation. The first excavators arrived on Monday evening, with the lead vehicle forging a path across a flooded section of road before others followed.
Once across, the machinery began operations in an area that previously served as the port's parking lot. Rescue workers on site said the immediate priority is to stabilize and clear the inundated roadway, enabling more responders to reach the affected area on foot via a safer, more accessible route—rather than having to scale boulders along the flood's edge.
Crews are also reinforcing the roadbed along the waterlogged stretch to allow additional vehicles and heavy equipment to pass, accelerating the ongoing search and rescue efforts.
The deadly mudslide on August 26, triggered by the collapse of a high-altitude glacier on the Nepalese side, has left at least 16 people dead and 546 others missing in Gyirong, according to the regional government.