Twenty-one people have been confirmed dead and 541 others remain missing following a mudslide that struck Gyirong Port on the China-Nepal border in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, according to figures released by the regional government on Wednesday.
The latest figures were presented at a news briefing held by the regional government, providing the first reported official account of the number of deaths and missing people following the disaster.
The mudslide struck Gyirong Port on Aug. 26, affecting an area on the border between China and Nepal. The scale of the reported casualties indicates the severity of the incident, with hundreds of people still unaccounted for days after the disaster.
As of Wednesday noon, the regional government said 21 people had been confirmed dead, while 541 others remained missing. The figures represent the latest official assessment of the human toll from the mudslide.
The release of the figures comes days after the incident, making the latest government briefing a significant update on the consequences of the disaster. Until the announcement, the extent of the deaths and missing persons had not been detailed in the information provided.
The concentration of casualties among those still missing means that the eventual toll could change as efforts to establish the fate of those unaccounted for continue. For now, however, the regional government’s figures stand at 21 confirmed deaths and 541 missing people as of Wednesday noon.
The disaster occurred at Gyirong Port, a border location connecting China and Nepal in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region. The mudslide on Aug. 26 has therefore affected a strategically important point along the China-Nepal border, although the information released by the regional government did not provide further details about the circumstances of the incident.
The latest briefing also marks a clearer official picture of the scale of the disaster. By confirming the number of people known to have died and identifying the much larger number who remain missing, the regional government has provided a numerical assessment of the human impact several days after the mudslide.
With 541 people still missing, the number of unaccounted-for people is more than 25 times the number of confirmed deaths reported by Wednesday noon. That stark difference illustrates the uncertainty surrounding the final toll and the continuing scale of the tragedy.
The regional government’s figures remain subject to change as the situation develops. At Wednesday noon, however, the official count was 21 confirmed dead and 541 missing after the Aug. 26 mudslide at Gyirong Port.
The figures provide the clearest indication so far of the human cost of the disaster at the China-Nepal border, while the large number of people still missing leaves the ultimate toll unresolved.
