Beijing – Chinese President Xi Jinping has given important instructions following a mudslide disaster near Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, Xigaze City, southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, calling for all-out efforts to search for and rescue missing people and ensure the safety of people’s lives and property.
A mudslide occurred at around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday on the Nepal side of the China-Nepal border, causing casualties and leaving people missing in the area around the Gyirong crossing, according to authorities.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed that every effort must be made to search for and rescue missing persons, evacuate and resettle people at risk, treat the injured and minimize casualties.
He called for strengthened monitoring and early warning, scientific rescue operations and effective measures to prevent secondary disasters.
Xi also stressed that China is currently in a critical period of flood control. All regions and relevant departments must maintain a strong sense of risk and bottom-line thinking, thoroughly implement flood- and typhoon-prevention measures, and intensify the investigation and rectification of potential risks and hazards to prevent major disasters and accidents.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, called for authorities to quickly verify the number of casualties and missing people, organize comprehensive rescue operations and transfer people at risk in an orderly manner.
Li also instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen communication and coordination with relevant countries, keep abreast of developments and jointly handle rescue and emergency response efforts.
According to the emergency management authorities of Gyirong County, the disaster has disrupted roads leading to Gyirong Port on the Chinese side, as well as communications and power supplies. Local authorities have dispatched personnel to the affected area, although communications remain disrupted and the full extent of the situation is still being assessed.
Gyirong Port is a major land crossing connecting China and Nepal.
The Chinese Embassy in Nepal said Wednesday that flash floods had affected the Gyirong-Rasuwa border area, prompting the embassy to activate its emergency response mechanism and assess the safety of Chinese citizens and businesses in affected areas.
The embassy urged the Nepali government and relevant agencies to make every effort to carry out rescue operations.
It also renewed its safety advisory for Chinese nationals and organizations in Nepal, urging them to closely monitor weather forecasts, early-warning information and road conditions and avoid mountain valleys, riverbanks and other areas vulnerable to flooding and natural disasters.
Chinese nationals were advised to avoid unnecessary travel to mountainous, waterside and remote areas with limited communications and to follow instructions from local authorities during emergencies.
Chinese companies and organizations in Nepal were also urged to strengthen workplace safety measures, identify potential hazards, prepare emergency supplies and improve emergency-response capabilities to protect the lives and property of their personnel.
Source : Xinhua
