Rescue teams continued advancing towards Gyirong Port in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Friday after a mudslide originating on the Nepal side of the border caused major casualties and left hundreds missing. Preliminary figures as of 8 a.m. Thursday showed that three people had died and 558 remained missing.

Collapsed roads slowed rescue vehicles and blocked access to the disaster zone. Teams adjusted their plans and were considering using kayaks to travel along the river towards the port as search and rescue operations continued.