China has reopened the only road leading to the Gyirong border crossing with Nepal, a week after catastrophic floods and mudslides tore through the area.
The reopening of the G216 national highway on Wednesday (02 September) marks a major step in rescue efforts, allowing heavy machinery to reach some of the worst-hit areas for the first time.
The floods struck on 26 August after a glacier collapse triggered mudslides and sent torrents of water through river systems on both sides of the China-Nepal border.
Rescue crews worked around the clock to restore the road through a narrow mountain gorge, despite heavy rain, unstable cliffs and a fast-flowing river.
China had relied on air drops to deliver equipment and supplies to rescuers while soldiers used life-detection devices to search for people still missing.
Authorities said the risk from potentially dangerous upstream lakes had eased, although landslides remained a concern.
With the road now open, large numbers of excavators and other heavy equipment have reached the site of the former Chinese border inspection complex.
Search teams using specialist detection equipment and sniffer dogs are working across the border area, riverbanks, ravines and damaged road corridors.
China said on Sunday (30 August) that 546 people remained unaccounted for in Tibet, including 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries. At least 16 people had been confirmed dead.
The disaster has also caused a devastating loss of life in neighbouring Nepal, where the death toll surpassed 1,000 on Wednesday to at least 1,114 people.
Nearly 4,000 remain unaccounted for, with Nepalise officials fearing many are buried under debris at towns and valleys near the Chinese border.
The reopening of the road is expected to accelerate rescue and recovery work as crews continue searching for survivors and those still missing.
Overnight strikes killed at least three people, including one child, in the Ukrainian city of Odesa, Serhiy Lys...
The U.S. has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites as Tehran retaliated against U.S. p...
China has reopened the only road leading to the Gyirong border crossing with Nepal, a week after catastrophic floods and mudslides tore through the...
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as leaders gather for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have gathered in Bishkek for a summit focused on trade, investment and transport as the group marks 25 years since its creation.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
Kyrgyzstan is hosting the sixth World Nomad Games, bringing together thousands of athletes from around the world for a celebration of traditional sports, cultural heritage and nomadic traditions.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 1st September, covering the latest developments.
Overnight strikes killed at least three people, including one child, in the Ukrainian city of Odesa, Serhiy Lysak, head of the city's military administration said. Residential building and infrastructure were also damaged in the attack, he added.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 2nd of September, covering the latest developments.
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong has pleaded guilty to collusion with foreign entities, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison under Beijing’s National Security Law.
Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday after a Utah judge ruled that prosecutors had presented enough evidence for the case to proceed as a capital murder trial.
A Brussels court has ordered Belgian biometrics company Semlex and 13 other defendants to stand trial over alleged corruption, money laundering and tax fraud linked to a contract to produce biometric passports in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment