A mudslide struck near Gyirong Port in Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region on Wednesday, with people feared missing, the Xinhua News Agency cited local authorities as saying.
The disaster has cut off roads leading to the port on the Chinese side, as well as communications and power supplies, according to the emergency management bureau of Gyirong County in Xigaze City, per Xinhua.
Gyirong Port is a major land port connecting China and Nepal.
Tenzin Norbu, head of the news division of the municipal publicity department of Xigaze in Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, told the Global Times that the local government was dispatching personnel to the disaster-hit area, where communications had been cut off, and that he did not yet have a full picture of the situation on the ground.
Chinese Embassy in Nepal also issued a notice on Wednesday that flash floods have struck the Gyirong-Rasuwa Port along the China-Nepal border in northern Nepal, prompting the embassy to activate its emergency response mechanism and assess the safety of Chinese nationals and businesses in the affected areas.
The embassy said it had also urged the Nepali government and relevant agencies to make every effort to carry out rescue operations.
The embassy renewed its safety advisory for Chinese nationals and organizations in Nepal, urging them to closely monitor weather forecasts, early-warning information and road conditions, and to avoid areas particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, including mountain valleys, riverbanks and low-lying areas prone to flooding.
Chinese nationals were also advised to avoid unnecessary travel to mountainous, waterside or remote areas with limited communications, and to follow instructions from local authorities in the event of an emergency. Chinese companies and organizations were urged to strengthen workplace safety measures, identify potential hazards, prepare emergency supplies and improve their disaster-response capabilities to protect lives and property.