Road clearance crews had reached the final kilometer of the road to mudslide-hit Gyirong Port in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region by 5 a.m. on Tuesday, but the last stretch is the hardest.

The work is focused on a sharp bend of the G216, where tight space and strong river currents are slowing progress.

At the same time, helicopters are flying specialist rescuers and supplies to the disaster zone, with firefighters, immigration police and health and disease-control personnel stepping up the search for the missing.

Some residential buildings at the port have been buried under up to two meters of mud and rock. Rescuers are using life-detection equipment to search for survivors beneath the debris.

China has mobilized 2,141 rescuers, 269 vehicles and 3,922 pieces of equipment to the devastated area, after a mudslide triggered by an ice-rock avalanche in Nepal on August 26 left 16 people dead and 546 missing in Gyirong County.

G216 road clearance enters toughest stretch

The current worksite is located at a wide river bend. Limited space and swift currents have slowed progress.

The mudslide has raised the riverbed and altered the channel, pushing water toward the original road. As a result, rescue teams are not just clearing debris, but effectively "building" a new road in the river.

Workers are placing steel-reinforced gabion cages and culvert pipes into the river to build up the roadbed and prevent fill material from being washed away.

Meanwhile, the steep terrain and narrow valleys at Gyirong Port leave little room for maneuvre. Adding more machinery alone cannot significantly speed up the work.

China Anneng, a Chinese emergency response and disaster relief company, has deployed 158 personnel and 28 pieces of heavy equipment on the ground, including excavators and loaders. 

Another team from the Chinese People's Armed Police Force is clearing mud and debris, widening the road and work area to allow more heavy machinery to reach the front line.

On Monday, rope ladders were set up as emergency escape route for rescuers. 

Crews are battling non-stop rain, with slopes giving way and sending rocks tumbling onto the site. Three escape routes, stretching about 180 meters, would allow rescuers to evacuate quickly if river levels rise or another mudslide hits.

Power crews are also working to restore electricity. Eight power poles had been installed by Tuesday morning along the cleared section of the G216. About 40 power poles are planned in total to provide a reliable power for ongoing rescue operations.

Monitoring secondary disaster risks

The area faces a high risk of secondary disasters, with geological hazard assessments along the G216 necessary.

Authorities are closely monitoring the ice-avalanche source area to prevent further collapses, while stepping up monitoring of landslides along the river to prevent blockages that could cause waters to back up.

Eight high-risk landslide areas have been identified so far. Ge Daqing, a Ministry of Natural Resources expert, said the landslides were mainly formed when the fast-moving mudslide scoured the surrounding terrain. Some involve more than 1 million cubic meters of material.

Ge said satellite remote sensing would be used to monitor the ice-avalanche source area, while drones would be deployed throughout for dynamic monitoring. Microseismic monitoring equipment is also expected to be installed in the coming days to provide timely warnings of ground vibrations.

Support for Nepal

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that China immediately reached out to Nepal to support its emergency response and disaster relief.

The first batch of 50 tonnes of relief supplies has arrived in Kathmandu, while two teams of Chinese tunnel rescue experts had been sent to the front line in Nepal, Guo said.

China has also shared satellite images, hydrological data and other key information with Nepal, including warnings about an upstream barrier lake, while helping stranded Nepali citizens return home, he added.

Guo said that as of noon on Sunday, all Chinese nationals who had been contacted in disaster-hit areas of Nepal had been safely relocated and were secure. China is continuing to search for missing people, both Chinese and foreign nationals, and is working with Nepal on identifying missing foreign nationals and handling follow-up arrangements.

The death toll from the mudslide disaster in Nepal had risen to 974 as of 8 p.m. local time on Monday, according to Nepal Police.