Li Qiang Arrives in Tibet to Oversee Mudslide Rescue

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Jilong, Tibet on Thursday afternoon to personally direct disaster relief operations following a catastrophic mudslide that struck the China-Nepal border region, killing at least 362 people and leaving more than 1,500 missing across both countries. Acting on the instructions of President Xi Jinping, Li traveled to the affected area in Jilong Town, Gyirong County to oversee rescue efforts and visit relief workers and displaced residents, according to Xinhua News.

A Disaster Triggered by Glacial Collapse

The disaster unfolded on the morning of August 26 when a high-altitude glacial collapse in Nepal’s Bagmati Province triggered a massive debris flow that swept across the border into China’s Jilong Port area in Gyirong County, Shigatse City. The mudslide, moving at an estimated 50 meters per second and covering more than 20 kilometers, destroyed the Resuo Bridge on the China-Nepal border and the port’s joint inspection building, burying numerous commercial warehouses and shops used for border trade.

According to Guo Zhaocheng, director of the Geological Disaster Investigation and Monitoring Center at China’s Natural Resources Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center, the ice collapse fell from the mountain slope and, during high-speed movement, scraped up moraine material in the gully, forming a high-speed debris flow that evolved into a mudslide. “The ice collapse debris flow is estimated to have moved at about 50 meters per second - extremely fast, giving people almost no reaction time,” Guo said, as reported by China Daily.

Xi Jinping’s Directives and National Response

President Xi Jinping issued important instructions immediately after the disaster, emphasizing the need to “spare no effort to search for missing persons, relocate and settle threatened residents, and promptly treat the injured to minimize casualties.” Xi also stressed strengthening monitoring and early warning systems and preventing secondary disasters, according to Xinhua News.

The National Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief Commission and the Ministry of Emergency Management activated a Level II national disaster relief emergency response, while the Tibet Autonomous Region activated a Level I natural disaster relief emergency response. The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Emergency Management urgently allocated 120 million yuan in central disaster relief funds, and the National Development and Reform Commission allocated an additional 100 million yuan for post-disaster emergency recovery, as reported by Xinhua.

Massive Rescue Operation Underway

A large-scale rescue operation has been mobilized with multiple teams deployed to the affected area. According to Xinhua’s coverage of the rescue efforts, forces include 249 national comprehensive fire rescue personnel, 325 engineering rescue personnel from China Anneng and China Power Construction, 601 fire rescue personnel from the Tibet Fire Rescue Corps, more than 130 from the Shigatse Military Sub-district, over 140 from the Armed Police Tibet Corps Shigatse Detachment, and the 111-member China Rescue Team.

By the morning of August 27, Chinese authorities confirmed 3 deaths and 558 missing persons on the Chinese side, including 260 foreign nationals. Two villagers from Resuo Village were successfully rescued. On the Nepalese side, at least 359 deaths and 977 missing persons have been reported, including 644 foreign nationals, bringing the combined total of missing persons to more than 1,500.

Barrier Lake Poses Secondary Risk

A critical concern for rescue operations is a barrier lake that formed upstream of Jilong Port at the confluence of the Cuojian River and the Puruqiang Zangbo River. As of August 27 morning, the lake held an estimated 2 million cubic meters of water and was in an overflowing state with a high risk of breach, potentially triggering secondary flooding. Rescue teams are conducting aerial surveys and three-dimensional modeling of the barrier to assess the risk, as detailed in China Daily’s analysis.

Evacuations and Relief Supplies

By the evening of August 27, 499 residents from villages including Guoba, Seqiong, Labi, Laojian, and Chongse, along with 29 construction workers, had been safely relocated, according to China Daily. Some 30,000 pieces of central disaster relief materials - including tents, heating stoves, clothing, folding beds, and moisture-proof pads - have been dispatched to support resettlement efforts.

Climate Change Context

Experts have noted that such glacial disasters are increasing in frequency and severity due to global warming. Yao Tandong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and leader of the Second Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Scientific Expedition, told reporters that “such glacial disasters are occurring more frequently, with wider impact ranges and more severe damage,” describing this as a new significant feature of cryosphere disasters in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau under the background of global warming. He noted that the disaster presents a typical cascading effect, with energy transmitted downstream along mountain valley channels and progressively amplified, as reported by China News Service.

International Dimension

The disaster affected citizens from more than 30 countries. Nepal reported missing persons including 288 Indians, 65 Americans, 55 Malaysians, 53 Ukrainians, 35 Australians, 33 Britons, and 25 Canadians, among others. South Korea and Japan have dispatched emergency response teams to Nepal, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed condolences and coordinated UN agencies to support Nepal. The United States provided emergency aid to Nepal, and India provided rescue and material support. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China was coordinating closely with Nepal and would provide emergency assistance as needed, according to Lianhe Zaobao.

What’s Next

Rescue operations continue under challenging conditions, with damaged roads, disrupted communications, and the looming threat of the barrier lake breach complicating efforts. The National Immigration Administration has suspended issuing electronic border management area passes for Shigatse from August 28, and two-way traffic control remains in effect on the road from Jilong Town to the border checkpoint.

As the international community watches closely, the disaster underscores the growing vulnerability of high-altitude Himalayan regions to climate-induced glacial hazards. The full scale of the tragedy is still emerging, with search and rescue teams racing against time to locate the missing across both sides of the border. The coming days will be critical in determining whether more survivors can be found and whether secondary disasters can be prevented.