This Tuesday, China held several acts of mourning for the victims of the violent flood and landslide that six days ago devastated the Tibetan port of Gyirong, on the border with Nepal, leaving an official toll of at least 1,003 dead and 4,462 missing on both sides of the border. The tribute was held when the Chinese authorities have not updated their official toll of victims for more than two days, which since Sunday morning remains at 16 dead and 546 missing (among which is a person with Spanish nationality). In Nepal, the death toll now stands at 987 and there are still 3,916 people unaccounted for (including one with Spanish citizenship), according to data published this Tuesday by the National Authority for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.
The flood began after the collapse of the bedrock supporting a high-altitude glacier in Nepal. The moment when a huge avalanche engulfed the border crossing was recorded in a video that went around the world, but of which there is barely any trace left on the country's highly controlled internet. The landslide precipitated a huge mass of ice, rock and water down the valley: first it devastated the Gyirong outpost in Tibet, and then it continued down the river towards Nepal.
The Foreign Ministry of the Asian giant has defended that Beijing disseminates information in an “open, transparent and timely” manner. More than 60 rescuers have accessed the core of the disaster on foot and have twice searched the remains of the border complex with life detectors and other devices, according to local press.
On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured that the Communist Party and the Government "work with all their strength" in the search for the missing, the evacuation of the victims and the prevention of new disasters. Xi spoke during a meeting in Bishkek (capital of Kyrgyzstan) with his Kyrgyz counterpart, Sadyr Zhaparov, held within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit (an intergovernmental security forum promoted by China and Russia). “China has the ability and confidence to overcome the disaster and rebuild the affected areas,” he noted.
In the brief note published this Tuesday by the Chinese state agency State media have shown the first responders interrupting their work, in formation and with their heads bowed, while the vehicle sirens sounded.
The main operational front continues to be the recovery of the G216, the only road that leads to the border crossing. Crews are working tirelessly in persistent rain to open the last kilometer to the port of Gyirong, according to China Central Television. The current reaches between six and seven meters per second (up to six times the usual speed) and has repeatedly carried away part of the materials used to rebuild the road. The excavators operate on the narrow remaining edge of the road, which is wedged between the unstable slopes and the river.
Meanwhile, in Nepal, teams have installed temporary bridges and regained road access to Nuwakot, allowing previously isolated areas to be reached and aid distributed. Electricity and communications have partially returned in some areas and the number of people rescued amounts to 11,814.
One of the most shocking news coming from this Himalayan country is that the police recovered 24 bodies on Tuesday from a single house in Betrabati, a town in Nuwakot. The house had been completely buried by mud and neighbors had been asking for access to it for days, according to the local press.
