Massive relief effort underway in Gyirong following devastating Nepal mudslide

By 9 am on Saturday, after nearly 30 hours on the road, truck driver Ma Geibu had completed his job. Ma, who is from Gansu province, and his wife had hauled an excavator from Mainling City in Nyingchi to Gyirong, a border town that has become a staging ground for rescue and relief operations following Wednesday's mudslide disaster in Nepal.

"The excavator has been handed over and should be able to reach the rescue site," Ma said over breakfast. "We'll rest for a while and then head home. We don't want to add to the burden here."

Along Gyirong avenue, the town's main street, heavy trucks stood bumper to bumper. Some carried excavators and loaders, while others brought communications equipment, food, and drinking water. The rumble of engines mixed with the sound of volunteers unloading supplies.

The massive mudslide began on the Nepalese side of the border and hit the Gyirong Port area in Gyirong county, Shigatse, Xizang autonomous region. Sixteen people had been confirmed dead, and 546 others remained missing as of 6 pm on Saturday, according to the regional government. The missing included 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries.

Search and rescue operations have been complicated by washed-out roads, deep mud, and the continuing risk of secondary disasters in the mountainous border area.

On the main street, another driver surnamed Ma was resting in his cab while workers checked his load — between 20 and 30 metric tons of fresh produce, including Chinese cabbage, green peppers, and more than a dozen other vegetables urgently needed on the front line.

The same chain of support was visible in the courtyard of a local community training center, where 30 relief tents had been set up in neat rows.

Tsering Sangzhu, director of a logistics service center in Dingri county, arrived on the first day with a mobile kitchen.

"When the earthquake hit Dingri last year, people from across the country came to help us," he said. "Now Gyirong needs help, so we came. We have prepared nearly 400 meals a day over the past two days. We just want everyone working in the rescue to have something hot to eat."

At the entrance to an underground storage area at Gyirong's emergency shelter square, more than a dozen volunteers formed a human chain, moving bottled water and food from trucks. They sorted the supplies and stacked them neatly for distribution to displaced residents and frontline rescuers.

By Sunday, 57,000 essential relief items, including tents, folding beds, and clothing, had been delivered to support displaced residents, according to local authorities.

Outside, trucks carrying excavators, communications equipment, and other emergency supplies continued to line Gyirong avenue. Some drivers rested in their cabs, while others waited for instructions to unload. One driver said he had spent 20 hours on the road before reaching the town.

"I had barely stepped out of the truck when someone brought me a hot breakfast," he said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.