Chinese border official vows to continue search after Nepal glacier collapse destroys Gyirong Port
Quick Look
Gui Xinwei, deputy chief of Gyirong Border Inspection Station, spoke from the ruins seven days after a glacier collapse in Nepal triggered a mudslide that destroyed the China-Nepal port crossing, killing many colleagues and erasing two decades of his work.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Gyirong Port is a key border crossing between China and Nepal, previously damaged by natural disasters including floods and earthquakes. Gui Xinwei had worked there for over 20 years before the August 26 glacier collapse in Nepal triggered a destructive mudslide.
“I do not want to stop [searching]. If I pause, I start thinking about my brothers and sisters and all the moments of my life here.”
Gui Xinwei, deputy chief of the Gyirong Border Inspection Station, was speaking to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV from the ruins of his workplace, seven days after the devastating mudslide erased the port crossing where China and Nepal meet.
“I just don’t want to stop.”
Gui was away on holiday on August 26 when a glacier collapsed in Nepal, triggering a massive mudflow and floods that travelled 22km (14 miles) in just seven minutes, flattening the entire Gyirong Port area. Many of his colleagues were lost in the disaster.
Returning to the site, Gui found the 20-metre (65 feet) port building that had survived previous heavy floods as well as strong earthquakes completely gone.
It was as if he had been thrown into “a parallel universe or a nightmare”, he said – until a pine tree on the mountain ridge reminded him that this was the very place where he had worked for more than 20 years.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Search and recovery operations will continue at the Gyirong Port site
Very likely · Within days
Gyirong Port will require significant reconstruction before reopening
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What is the current status of search and rescue operations for missing colleagues?
- When will Gyirong Port be rebuilt or restored?
- What specific measures are being taken to prevent similar disasters in the future?
