Key highway reopens amid all-out Xizang mudslide rescue effort

Chinese rescuers reopened a major highway to a mudslide-stricken land port in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Wednesday morning, following round-the-clock rescue operations, in a major breakthrough following last week's deadly mudslide.

Reporters from China Media Group (CMG) at Gyirong Port said large vehicles and heavy equipment have accessed the core disaster zone via the G216 national highway to conduct more extensive, in-depth rescue efforts for those still unaccounted for.

Chinese authorities launched full-scale rescue operations after the mudslide, caused by an ice-rock avalanche in Nepal, hit Gyirong Port on August 26, claiming 16 lives and leaving 546 others missing at the border port as of 6 p.m. on Saturday. 'No giving up' Rescue workers who were airlifted by helicopter into the core zone of Gyirong Port, including Xizang border police officers, have voiced their commitment despite tough challenges.

"We will accelerate our search.

We will not give up, we will not abandon anyone, and we will do everything in our power to find those still unaccounted for," said Ye Yi, a police officer with the Xigaze Border Control Detachment of the Xizang General Border Inspection Station.

Rescue operations have been severely hampered by difficult terrain, harsh weather conditions and the sheer severity of the disaster itself.

According to experts, the impact of the devastating mudslide was worsened by the steep drop in elevation, the high speed of the flow and the valley's narrow confines.

Read more: Experts: What makes the Gyirong Port rescue so difficult? The mud has significantly slowed rescue teams' movement and reduced the effectiveness of some commonly used detection equipment.

In certain areas, the sediment is knee-deep or even waist-deep, according to rescuers on site.

Despite these challenges, one rescue team told CMG that it was racing against time with a multi-pronged approach: sending ground teams to conduct manual searches – tapping, shouting and listening for any sign of life, inch by inch; deploying two sniffer dogs across designated zones; and using advanced instruments, including life-detection devices, to pinpoint the location of anyone buried under the debris.

Over recent days, shallow-layer searches have covered the entire port area, with the surface layer already combed multiple times, rescuers said.

Full communications coverage restored Telecom operators in Xizang had restored one base station and added 12 emergency ones in the mudslide-hit areas by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, securing full and uninterrupted communications for command, rescue and supply coordination.