Chinese rescue teams are rushing to find missing persons following a landslide at the Jirong border checkpoint in Tibet, triggered by a glacier collapse on the Nepal side, resulting in 16 deaths and 546 missing.
On 31 Aug 2026 GMT+7, Chinese rescue teams continued to intensify their search for the missing in the Jirong border area, Tibet Autonomous Region, in southwest China, after a major landslide. Officials had to trek through rugged mountainous terrain that is difficult to access.
Reports state that since the early hours of last Friday, rescue officials entered the hardest-hit area near the Jirong checkpoint, a key border crossing in southwest Tibet. They spent up to 10 hours trekking through mountain paths before over 60 rescue personnel began multiple search operations within a 1.7-kilometer radius of the incident site.
About 100 meters from the valley, officials found an exposed rock slope which served as the channel for the torrent of water. They estimated that at the time of the event, the water level was over 60 meters high—equivalent to a 20-story building—highlighting the intensity of the water and mud flow that devastated the area.
Rescue teams are working into their third day amid severe weather conditions that significantly hinder the mission. Zhou Mingqi, field commander from the Lhasa team of Sichuan Province’s mobile rescue and firefighting unit, said the team has conducted two search rounds covering about 40,000 square meters and will continue operations despite numerous challenges.
Source: AP