Rescue workers in Nepal on Saturday help Lu Haitao (second from right), a Chinese citizen, leave a hydropower station, where he had been trapped in a tunnel by the recent mudslide. He is undergoing further medical assessment. XINHUA

　　Forty-three people are confirmed dead and 519 remain missing in Gyirong county, Xizang autonomous region, after a devastating mudslide swept through the area on Aug 26, as search and rescue operations continued, local authorities said on Sunday.

　　Ren Wei, commander of the frontline headquarters and executive vice-chairman of the regional government, said during a news conference in Gyirong that, as of 6 pm on Saturday, 993 items of personal belongings recovered.

　　As of Saturday evening, more than 2,500 rescuers had been deployed, along with over 500 vehicles and more than 9,000 sets of rescue equipment. Drones had made over 1,000 flights, while 5.43 metric tons of supplies and equipment had been air-dropped.

　　Since road access to the core area was restored on Wednesday, six specialized groups and seven rescue teams have been carrying out detailed searches. Rescuers have been clearing debris layer by layer and searching each section thoroughly, with some areas already cleared down to the original foundations.

　　Ren said searches will continue under the existing plan to ensure the core disaster area is covered as thoroughly as possible.

　　Meanwhile, authorities are providing support to the families of the dead and missing. A dedicated hotline has taken 675 calls from relatives so far, while 791 family members had been received and 640 of them accommodated. Two local villagers had been rescued late last month.