China updated the figures on the impacts of the landslide caused by the collapse of a glacier inNepaText: In Gyirong (also known as Jilong), a city located in the same-named county in the Tibet Autonomous Region,Xizang (Tibet)Text: "China."
The number of deaths from the landslide that destroyed the Jilong border post has risen to 43, with 519 other people still missing. The data was released yesterday (6) at a press conference held at the disaster site.Brazil of FactHe was present as part of the first delegation of foreign journalists to access the site.
Jilong is part of the Shigatse municipal government, the second largest city in Tibet. At the press conference, the executive vice president ofAutonomous Region of TibetRen Wei reported that, as of Friday, August 5, more than 2,500 workers, over 500 vehicles, and over 9,000 sets of search equipment had been mobilized, with more than 1,000 drone flights and 5.43 tons of supplies dropped by air. As of August 27, two people had been rescued alive.
One of the main tasks after the disaster on August 26th was to clear and rebuild part of the National Highway G216, which is the only land route to the border post.
Ren Wei reported that approximately 500 residents from two cities and five villages have been relocated to nearby hotels and inns, and are receiving free food and medical care; 555 tourists have been stranded and 1,720 citizens.Nepali peopleAlso attended at the border, according to the vice-president of the region.
OBrazil of FactHe asked about the current situation and secondary risk monitoring systems. Luobu Ciren and researcher Su Pengcheng from the Mountain Disaster and Environmental Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said there are four monitoring fronts: the reservoir lake formed in the disaster; slopes with unstable residual material; geological in the five nearby villages and National Road 216; and satellite and drone tracking of glaciers and glacial lakes around the zone. As of yesterday morning, over 20 specialists were operating 100 sets of equipment and recorded over ten small ice detachments in the channel; journalists' entry required risk assessment.
Su Pengcheng said there are three needs for improving this type of risk monitoring. The first is to deepen research on the mechanisms of chained disasters in the Himalayas: understand the process of glacier instability at extreme altitudes, develop early warning models, and simulate the progression of ice and rock avalanches before they reach populated areas. The second is to build an integrated "non-contact" monitoring system via satellite, air, and ground to reduce dependence on personnel in extreme altitudes: synthetic aperture radar satellites (able to emit and analyze their own microwave pulses), capable of operating under clouds and intense rain, combined with low-consumption satellite communication terminals to transmit data from border areas without network coverage. The third is to build a transfrontier cooperation mechanism.
Missing foreigners
Just days after the disaster,some Western mediaIt was reported that China is censoring information about the disaster. The accusation was, in a way, made during the press conference by journalists from dominant media outlets present.
The deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Office ofTibetRegarding whether families will be informed if belongings are found without the corresponding body, Yang said yes. The deputy director of Public Security of Xizang, Pu Weidong, stated that 993 personal items have been collected, numbered, and cataloged; 60 forensic technicians in three laboratories are collecting DNA, fingerprints, and physical characteristics, comparing them with samples provided by families. A 24-hour call center for foreign relatives, in English and Nepali, has received 509 calls so far.
The port is a historical node of the historic Tea and Horse Route and the Tang-Tibet Road, accounting for 14 billion yuan (approximately R$ 10.8 billion) in trade in the last five years, representing over 40% of Shigatse's trade volume in 2025. Luobu Ciren said that studies for the port's reactivation are already underway.
The port has been a significant hub for the historical Tea and Horse Route and the Tang-Tibet Road, generating 14 billion yuan (approximately R$ 10.8 billion) in trade over the last five years, accounting for over 40% of Shigatse's trade volume in 2025. Luobu Ciren stated that studies for the port's revival are currently in progress.