This photo shows rescuers working at the mudslide-hit area in Gyirong County, southwest China"s Xizang Autonomous Region, Aug. 29, 2026. (Xinhua/Tenzing Nima Qadhup)

　　"Is anyone there?" Rescuers crouched down together and called out in unison every few meters, as they picked their way through mud, boulders and chunks of rock.

　　Since Saturday morning, the members of the Sichuan provincial fire and rescue corps of the China Search and Rescue team have been carrying out a sweeping search in key areas at the mudslide-stricken border port of Gyirong in southwest China"s Xizang Autonomous Region.

　　The team has been searching the heart of the disaster zone, with torrents of muddy water still surging in the nearby waterway. They sifted through piles of rocks and picked through what appeared to be the wreckage of a vehicle, as seen in Xinhua video footage.

　　A fast-moving chain mudslide, triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse on the Nepalese side, has left seven people dead and 554 others missing at Gyirong Port in Xizang on the China-Nepal border.

　　RELENTLESS SEARCH, ROAD RESTORATION

　　China immediately sent professional rescuers, firefighters and military forces to the site to search for survivors. A total of 2,141 rescuers have joined the mission, according to the update by the region"s emergency management department on early Saturday morning.

　　Fire and rescue personnel approached the hard-hit border gate on three fronts: by rubber boats on waterways; on foot through mountainous terrain; and conducting aerial reconnaissance and supply drops via drones.