Firefighters, police, armed police and border officers have scrambled to search for survivors after a mudslide hit Gyirong Port in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Wednesday, cutting roads and burying buildings. Crews are also battling to clear roads and survey the devastated area.

By 8 p.m., 601 personnel and 113 vehicles, equipped with search dogs, life detectors and rescue boats, were on the ground.

As of Thursday morning, Chinese authorities confirmed three deaths, with 558 people still unaccounted for in Gyirong. Across the border, Nepal reported 157 deaths.