Rescuers Reach Ruined Nepal-China Border Crossing After Himalayan Floods

A Chinese rescue team reaching the Gyirong border crossing in Tibet found the complex almost completely destroyed, according to reporting by The Guardian. The team, made up of 21 rescuers and a search-and-rescue dog, arrived on Friday after roads leading through the Himalayan terrain were washed away. The rescuers crossed mountains and valleys, using ropes to move through forests and along cliffs. Rescue worker Zou Mingqi said there was no road to the site, only forest and steep rock faces. At the border complex, he described seeing ruins across the area. Surveillance footage from Wednesday showed torrents of water and debris sweeping through the crossing, engulfing buildings and people attempting to escape. The flooding followed the collapse of a glacier on Mount Langtang Lirung in Nepal, sending water through river systems in the Himalayas. The disaster has killed at least 626 people in Nepal and seven in Tibet, while the reported number of missing people has risen to nearly 3,000. The Guardian reported that 2,426 people were missing in Nepal and 554 in Tibet. Nepal says it can continue general search-and-rescue operations with its own personnel but needs specialized assistance in other areas. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said the country was seeking help with restoring transport and communications, identifying bodies, DNA testing, rescuing people trapped in tunnels and preserving bodies for longer periods. Nepal has asked India and China to provide Bailey bridges after about two dozen bridges were destroyed. India has sent three flights carrying roughly 60 tons of relief supplies, including blankets, medicines, food and water-purification tablets, as well as a specialized tunnel-rescue team. Nepali army and police rescuers have been using drilling equipment to reach more than 100 people trapped inside a hydropower tunnel in Rasuwa. More than 350 people have already been evacuated, but officials say the operation remains extremely difficult because of the weather. Authorities are also monitoring two barrier lakes upstream. One is reportedly shrinking, while satellite imagery showed the other growing without a visible outlet. A Chinese geohazards expert warned that the lake could be unstable and that more than 100 glacial lakes in the region may present additional risks.