Three days after devastating floods swept through areas along the Nepal-Tibet border, China’s first major rescue team reached the worst-hit Gyirong Port on Friday, with rescuers forced to trek through dense forests and steep canyons after roads were destroyed, BBC reported.
Six personnel from the Tibet fire and rescue service, along with 15 rescuers and a search dog from the Sichuan fire and rescue service, reached the area at around 4.30 pm local time, China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The deployment came as the official death toll in Tibet rose to seven, with 554 people still missing, according to Chinese state media. The number of casualties is expected to rise as rescue teams gain access to areas cut off by the floods.
“There was no road… it was all virgin forest and sheer cliffs,” rescue worker Zou Mingqi told Reuters. “As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but ruins.” CCTV said the rescue teams had to cross dense forest and canyons to reach the affected area near Gyirong Port, a key crossing on the Nepal-Tibet border that was badly damaged by the flooding.
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences to Nepalese President Ram Chandra Paudel over the disaster, saying he was confident that the people of China and Nepal would “join hands to overcome this disaster as soon as possible and rebuild their homes”.
Chinese authorities have warned that continued heavy rain over the weekend could further hamper rescue operations and trigger mudslides in some areas.
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