At approximately 10:30 a.m. on August 26, a major incident involving casualties and missing persons occurred at the Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, Xigazê City, Xizang, as a result of a landslide disaster on the Nepalese side. Following the disaster, Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, attached great importance to the incident and issued important instructions, emphasizing that the immediate priority was to make every effort to search for and rescue missing persons, relocate and resettle people at risk, promptly treat the injured, and minimize casualties to the greatest extent possible. He also called for strengthened monitoring and early warning, scientifically conducted rescue operations, and effective prevention of secondary disasters.
The disaster has touched the hearts of many, and every moment counts in saving lives. CREC has resolutely implemented the important instructions of Present Xi Jinping, remained mindful of the national interest, and upheld the principles of putting people and their lives first, responding immediately to the call and advancing toward danger. Under the unified coordination of the Ministry of Emergency Management, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the Department of Transportation of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and the Xigazê Municipal Government, the company promptly activated its emergency response mechanism and rapidly coordinated and deployed emergency rescue forces. Xizang CREC General Contracting Company under CREC South was designated as the frontline emergency rescue and disaster relief command center, coordinating elite forces stationed in Tibet from China Railway Guangzhou Engineering Group, China Railway Beijing Engineering Group and other units to rush to the disaster area day and night and devote every effort to emergency rescue operations.
At 4:00 p.m. on August 26, China Railway Group mobilized 83 rescue personnel and 59 sets of various rescue machinery and vehicles, including 13 transport vehicles, 24 excavators and 22 loaders, and rapidly advanced toward the affected area. The first batch of rescue personnel and equipment arrived at the site at 7:50 p.m. that day. By 2:00 p.m. on August 27, all 83 personnel and 59 sets of machinery and equipment had arrived in Gyirong Town.
China Railway Guangzhou Engineering Group immediately activated its emergency response plan, rapidly mobilizing personnel and equipment from nearby projects in the Tibet region. A 34-member emergency rescue team was formed, with five transport vehicles, 10 excavators and nine loaders dispatched. The team also carried emergency supplies including satellite phones, drinking water and ready-to-eat food. Traveling day and night and covering 370 kilometers by road, all personnel and equipment arrived in Gyirong Town by 2:00 p.m. on August 27, where they remained on standby for unified deployment and were ready to participate in emergency rescue operations at any time.
China Railway Beijing Engineering Group mobilized a total of 49 rescue personnel and 35 sets of rescue equipment, including 12 commuter vehicles, 13 excavators and 10 loaders. At present, all rescue equipment has arrived at the frontline of disaster relief operations. The team has been placed under the unified deployment of the frontline emergency rescue and disaster relief command center and is following the on-site command of the local emergency management authority. It has immediately begun road clearance, mud removal and passageway clearing operations, making every effort to reopen vital emergency rescue routes and secure valuable time for subsequent rescue forces to enter the area and for affected residents to be relocated.
Going forward, CREC will strictly follow the unified deployment of the local government, continue to mobilize equipment and personnel, and participate fully in all emergency rescue and disaster relief operations with the firmest resolve, strongest actions and most professional measures.
