Debris flow disaster in Jilong County, Tibet: the hard work and rescue efforts behind the construction of National Highway 216

On August 26, Gyirong County, Shigatse City, Tibet suffered a serious mudslide disaster. The 216 National Highway from Gyirong Town to Gyirong Port was completely washed away. The situation in the core area of ​​​​the disaster affected people's hearts. The road is impassable, large machinery cannot enter, and relief supplies are difficult to deliver. Restoring the smooth flow of this land rescue channel has become the most urgent task for emergency rescue and disaster relief. After days and nights of continuous fighting, National Highway 216 was finally open to traffic on September 2. Behind this was an arduous race against time and dangerous conditions.

After the debris flow disaster occurred in Jilong County, Tibet, the 216 National Highway leading to the Jilong Port was completely washed away. The total length of the damaged road was about 3 kilometers. The last 1 kilometer of the arc curve was the most difficult point in the entire project. The reporter recorded the process of the rescuers' efforts to clear the "last mile".

On September 1, the reporter met Hu Bo, the leader of the China Aneng Geelong Emergency Detection Team at the scene. After the disaster, he has been at the forefront of rescue and disaster relief.

Hu Bo has participated in many rescue operations, including the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, but he said that this rescue was more difficult than ever.

Hu Bo: When I saw that the corner was completely submerged in water, I thought it was very dangerous and difficult. But after chewing through this "hard bone", I found that there are "harder bones" behind it. Because it is very close to the mountain and very steep, it is a curve with a very fast current. When the water rushes down from the upstream, the curve is facing the left bank, and the impact is very strong.

If the water flow is too fast, it will make construction more difficult downstream. To this end, rescuers have set up three dams in the river.

Hu Bo: If a T-shaped dam is not built to slow down the water erosion, the downstream construction will be very difficult, and the stones and debris will be washed away directly into the river. Now the rapid water flows down along the right bank of Gyirong Zangbo, and the impact on the left bank is very slow. We have set up three check dams in this area in succession.

The emergency repair section is located in the Gyirong Zangbo Canyon. Not only is the river erosion strong and the environment dangerous, but the working surface is narrow and heavy equipment cannot be deployed, which greatly affects the advancement speed. How to allow more mechanical equipment to pass through this dangerous area in the shortest time has become the biggest problem at hand.

Hu Bo: This position is a "hard nut" on the morning of September 1st. It turns out that there is water flowing down from the mountain in this place. The water flow is very strong and there is a gully. The machinery must be allowed to cross the gully and carry out rushing operations on the other side, and the speed must be fast to speed up the progress and expand the working area. The original plan was to carry out the propulsion operation below the river valley, where the water flow was. Later, we found that we could advance faster on the slope, so we chose the most advantageous option and opened a new road above the landslide.

As the leader of the detection team, Hu Bo's job is to detect the road rush site and provide technical safety guarantee for high-risk operations.

Hu Bo: Ball control is used a lot in every emergency rescue. We deploy the control ball to the first scene of the rescue operation, and the commander in the command center can provide timely command through the pictures provided on the scene. The attendant can also give us early warning and notification after discovering problems at the rear.

In addition to overcoming the adverse reactions caused by high altitude and the temperature difference between day and night, the complex canyon terrain and changeable extreme weather are also major obstacles to this work. Due to the unstable mountains and rapidly changing meteorological conditions in the disaster-stricken area, core operations such as drone aerial survey and on-site survey have always faced many uncertainties.

Hu Bo: The drone flies back and forth, hoping to collect the most realistic data. But there may be unexpected results every time. It may be that the wind is too strong, the weather has changed, or the drone signal has been lost and it has automatically returned to home. It is impossible to collect the most accurate data. When advancing bit by bit, capture as much as possible, and then splice it bit by bit. If there is a gap, fly as soon as possible.

From the disaster to the present, Hu Bo has almost never left the rescue scene. He said that if the road is cleared one minute earlier, subsequent relief supplies can be delivered one minute earlier.

Opening up land rescue channels is an important guarantee for large-scale search and rescue work. At present, rescue personnel, supplies and search and rescue equipment have entered the core area through land channels to carry out search work. Before the large machinery entered, some people had been fighting in the core area for several days.

Yang Qiqiao is the deputy director of the Kare Pudong Road Special Service Station of the Fire Rescue Detachment in Shigatse City, Tibet. On August 28, he became one of the first batch of rescuers to arrive in the core area on foot. These days, he has been staying here without any rotation.

On September 1, Yang Qiqiao and his comrades once again came to the location of the original port building for search and rescue. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, they will not give up.

They must take photos, register and properly keep every belonging of a missing person.

After the debris flow disaster occurred in Jilong County, Tibet, Yang Qiqiao immediately volunteered to lead a team into the core area of ​​Jilong Port to undertake reconnaissance and search and rescue tasks.

On the morning of August 28, Yang Qiqiao led a land search and rescue team to set off from Saler Township. Since the road leading to the core area of ​​the Geelong Port was completely destroyed by mudslides, Yang Qiqiao and his teammates could only climb over the mountain on foot. Along the way, the mountains are steep and every step forward is extremely difficult.

Originally planned to be a four-hour journey, the team members trekked for more than seven hours. Just when they were about to reach the core area, a steep slope with a height difference of five to six hundred meters blocked the way.

Yang Qiqiao: That side is too steep. Although we brought ropes, it is difficult to descend, and the vertical height is too high, which is dangerous. We reached the top of the mountain again, turned to the other side of the mountain, and found it was a little smoother, so we slid down the middle road.

After traveling more than 20 kilometers over mountains and ridges, Yang Qiqiao and his teammates finally arrived at the core area of ​​the disaster at 4:30 pm on August 28. Upon arriving at the scene, they immediately launched rescue operations.

On the first night, since other supplies had not yet been delivered, Yang Qiqiao and his comrades found a rain-proof corner in the cracks of the rocks and slept with their clothes on.

In this mudslide, the square water tower located on the hillside became the only building whose original mark could be seen. This only surviving building became the place where the search and rescue team set up a temporary camp in the next few days. At the same time, some material support was gradually put in place.

On the night of September 1, it rained again in the core area, but the work of Yang Qiqiao and his comrades was not over. There are still excavators working near the core area, and they have been holding on here.

Since the disaster occurred, relevant parties have invested a total of 336 personnel to carry out multiple rounds of net-type and carpet-type search and rescue in the core area, with the total search and rescue area reaching 1.591 million square meters.

The land rescue channel has become unobstructed, large-scale rescue machinery can advance into the core area of ​​the disaster, and search and rescue operations can be carried out on a larger scale. The environment in the mountains and canyons is harsh, and the risk of secondary disasters continues to exist. Faced with difficult challenges, rescue forces from all walks of life took risks and fought continuously, carrying out search and rescue with professionalism and persistence, never letting go of every glimmer of hope. What we see in these rescue workers is the courage to stand up in the face of danger and the responsibility to protect lives and live up to their mission.

Camera: Fu Peng, Li Xu, Zhang Wenrui

Source: CCTV News Client