An all-out rescue effort

On the morning of August 26, a powerful mudslide swept across the China–Nepal border, destroying buildings and roads and cutting off communications and power supplies. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered all-out efforts to search for the missing, evacuate people in danger, treat the injured and guard against secondary disasters.

First responders from the Xizang Autonomous Region immediately headed toward Gyirong Port, the worst-hit area on the Chinese side. Rescue teams and technical experts were also mobilized from across the country. 

Among them was the 111-member China Search and Rescue Team, which departed from Beijing. CGTN reporter Cen Ziyuan traveled with the team, documenting its arrival on August 27 at Dingri Airport, the closest airport to Gyirong Port.

From Chengdu, a team from China Anneng Group, one of the country’s professional emergency rescue forces, also set off for the disaster zone. 

One of the team’s first tasks after reaching the border area was to assess a barrier lake that had formed upstream from Gyirong Port. A sudden release of water from the lake could pose a serious risk of secondary flooding to residents and rescuers downstream. 

CGTN reporter Gong Ming joined the team on an hours‑long trek to the site, sending back drone footage of the barrier lake.

As of September 2, over 2,300 personnel from the People's Liberation Army, the People's Armed Police Force, China Anneng, and fire and police departments had been deployed to the rescue operation. 

Rescuers battled thick mud and debris, washed-out roads and treacherous terrain, pushing forward by land, water and air to reach the disaster zone.

As rescuers pressed ahead in the core disaster zone, another priority was reopening the G216 highway, the only land corridor to Gyirong Port. It took more than 100 machines working around the clock for a week to clear this passage through deep mud, between steep valley cliffs. 

Team leader Zhong Wenjun said the excavator operator at the front of the operation faced the daily risk of being swept away by the current. A veteran rescuer, Zhong told CGTN reporter Gong Ming that it was the most challenging mission he had ever undertaken.

With the reopening of the G216 highway on September 2, heavy machinery was finally able to enter the core disaster zone to clear large boulders and deep mud, allowing rescuers to conduct deeper searches. 

Among the first journalists to reach the core zone after road access was restored, CGTN reporter Cen Ziyuan described a scene of devastation: the powerful mudslide had flattened buildings, leaving little more than their foundations. Despite the scale of the destruction, rescuers told Cen they would continue searching for the missing.

Explaining a disaster of extraordinary scale

Was it a flood, an earthquake or an avalanche? In the first hours and days after the catastrophe, conflicting accounts and misinformation left many struggling to understand what had unfolded in the Himalayas.

On August 28, Chinese researchers released preliminary assessments identifying it as a cascading disaster that began when part of a glacier more than 5,000 meters above sea level collapsed in Nepal. The resulting flow swept up vast amounts of ice and rock as it raced through a mountain river channel, gathering mass and momentum before evolving into a devastating mudslide. 

By the time it reached Gyirong Port, more than 3,200 meters (10,500 feet) below, the mudslide’s destructive force had been greatly amplified, explained Su Pengcheng, a researcher from the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment under the Chinese Academy of Sciences who was working on the frontlines.

Experts estimated that more than 10 million tonnes of material traveled roughly 20 kilometers (12 miles) in just seven minutes. With the ice reducing friction, the flow reached an estimated 50 meters per second, or 180 kilometers per hour (112 mph), before striking Gyirong Port. The speed left little time for detection or early warning.

Alarmingly, experts warn that more frequent glacial disasters are becoming harder to avoid, and the key is to slow the pace of global warming. But even then, some changes are already underway.

Covering both sides: On the ground in Nepal

The disaster had caused heavy loss of life on both sides of the border. As of September 3, Chinese authorities reported 21 deaths and 541 people missing, while Nepal said 1,253 bodies had been recovered and another 4,875 people remained unaccounted for.

Along Nepal’s Trishuli River, many communities were devastated, with homes and roads reduced to rubble. Survivors were taken to hospitals and shelters, while families searched for information about missing relatives. 

Since August 27, CGTN correspondent Ravinder Bawa has been reporting from these affected communities, documenting the scale of the destruction and speaking with survivors and families of the missing.

Aid across the border: Multiple rounds of Chinese supplies and experts reach Nepal

Soon after the disaster, a spokesperson from China International Development Cooperation Agency said the two countries will stand together firmly, join hands to deal with the disaster and overcome the difficulties, and vowed to actively implement a package of assistance to Nepal, as well as sharing important information such as images, satellite and hydrological data of the disaster area.

On August 30, the first round of emergency supplies from China arrived in Kathmandu. The shipment includes urgently needed daily necessities and medical supplies, including tents, blankets, sleeping bags, compressed dry food and first aid kits.

On the same day, a Chinese emergency rescue team specialized in tunnel and underground accidents joined Nepalese rescuers to search for survivors inside Tunnel No. 3 at the flood-hit Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa District.

Soon after the operation, CGTN spoke with one of the Chinese team leaders on the ground. In an exclusive interview, Zhao Bo, deputy commander of the Chongqing Tunnel Rescue Team under China Communications Construction Company, recounted leading a search group into the tunnel’s upstream section. He and his colleagues crawled through darkness and chest-deep silt, blowing whistles, calling out and knocking on pipes as they searched for signs of life.

Cross‑Himalayan assistance and cooperation remains ongoing.

On September 3, the third batch of emergency relief supplies and a fourth team of Chinese experts arrived in Kathmandu, with part of the aid focused on victim identification. Further support, including donations and two Bailey bridges, is being delivered by various regional authorities, organizations and civic groups across China.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing that China will continue to provide emergency assistance and carry out international rescue cooperation in response to Nepal’s needs. He also noted that since the disaster, China and Nepal have worked closely to share monitoring and early-warning information and coordinate disaster response.