On the ground in China’s wiped-out border zone, the fate of hundreds is still unknown

Li Lin/China News Service/VCG/AP

A rock-strewn crevasse is all that remains of what used to be Gyirong Port.

A hub of movement and trade has been completely washed from existence, according to a CNN team that gained access to the site on Sunday as part of a government-organized visit, leaving a moonscape of stones, gravel and sludge, still being searched by emergency workers.

This border crossing was once a bustling nexus for tourists and traders moving between China and Nepal. Hundreds of people would typically pass through each day going to or from Nepal’s Rasuwa port, just across the river.

All that changed on August 26, when the port was engulfed by an enormous wave of water – as the first point of impact from a landslide and explosive flooding that then ripped into Nepal. People were seen in devastating surveillance footage fleeing for their lives as the deluge struck Gyirong port.

No survivors have been found at the port, which has become a focal point for families both in China and around the world desperate for any information about loved ones they believe were at the checkpoint when the floods hit.

Answers are not immediately visible here. The hulking, five-story border checkpoint facility, which loomed over the surrounding area in the grand style of Chinese government facilities, has been obliterated. All that can be seen of the building now is the vestiges of its foundations.

Same with the rest of this place, which once had travel agencies, a supermarket and a bridge that connected China and Nepal. It has all been flattened, overwritten by the wall of mud and water that claimed everything in its path.

Entering the disaster area, heavy dust and fog fill the air. Numerous rescue vehicles and officials everywhere direct traffic. The road, completely destroyed, has been covered in gravel to make it passable.

Information about who was impacted here has been slow to emerge from the port, cutting a contrast with Nepal where there have been frequent updates on the numbers of rescued or confirmed dead.

As of China’s latest update nearly two days ago, there were 31 people confirmed dead and 531 missing on its side of the border. More than 250 foreigners are among the missing, local authorities in Tibet said earlier in the week.

Chinese authorities have yet to publicly release a list of names of those who were at the port at the time or who are believed to be missing on this side of the border. That’s prompted questions about transparency – especially from families who are desperate for news of missing loved ones.

Beijing has defended its release of information from its remote disaster area as open and timely. Its invitation to a group of around a dozen reporters from international news outlets – including CNN – for Sunday’s carefully arranged visit to the area is part of an effort to show the rescue operations going on at the port.

The trip is jointly organized by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and State Council Information Office. While CNN is joining an itinerary planned by the officials to access this restricted area, it maintains full editorial control.

More than 1,000 people have been confirmed dead and thousands remain missing after Wednesday’s catastrophe, according to authorities in both countries.

The trip here has underscored now remote this region is – and how difficult it was for rescue workers to respond.

Just getting to this part of Tibet is an effort; the distances in this region are vast. The CNN team joining this trip drove roughly eight hours from the Tibetan regional capital of Lhasa to Dingri, a city near the Nepal border on Saturday, through altitudes of up to 13,000 feet (nearly 4 kilometers). Getting to the port, which is at a lower elevation of 6,000 feet, took another six hours from Dingri, which has the closest airport.

A narrow, double-lane road leading to the port winds along pine-covered mountains, with countless hairpin turns. These roads were only cleared on Wednesday – seven days after disaster stuck – finally allowing thousands of rescue workers to enter the zone along with heavy machinery. Previously, a smaller number of responders were conducting operations, by trekking in or arriving by boat or aircraft.

Rescue efforts in the past 11 days have also been slowed or stalled at times by the risk of secondary disasters, including landslides and breaches of new, so-called barrier lakes that formed after debris and mud dammed parts of a nearby river. Those conditions, as well as heavy rains and mountainous terrain, made access even by air difficult at times.

Authorities have also warned of potential further collapse around the glacier on Langtang Lirung mountain in Nepal, which cracked and broke off, triggering the August 26 landslide and flooding.

Last week’s disaster may be a catalyst for more intensive monitoring of these risks, as well as shared data and early-warning systems between China and Nepal, especially as the risk of natural disasters is growing and becoming more unpredictable with climate change.

But for now, the focus remains on recovery – and for the families of the missing, getting information about what happened to their loved ones, including those who are believed to have been in Gyirong port on that fateful morning.

李琳/中国新闻社/VCG/美联社

昔日吉隆港如今只剩下一条乱石嶙峋的裂缝。

据 CNN 团队报道，一个曾经是交通和贸易中心的地方已被彻底摧毁。该团队于周日参加了政府组织的访问，进入了现场，只留下了一片由石头、砾石和淤泥组成的荒芜景象，目前仍在接受紧急救援人员的搜寻。

这个边境口岸曾经是中国和尼泊尔之间熙熙攘攘的游客和商人的枢纽。每天都有数百人往返于河对岸的尼泊尔拉苏瓦港。

8月26日，一切都发生了改变。当天，吉隆港被巨浪吞没，成为山体滑坡和随后席卷尼泊尔的洪水的第一冲击点。令人痛心的监控录像显示，洪水袭击吉隆港时，人们拼命逃命。

目前尚未在港口发现任何幸存者，该港口已成为中国乃至世界各地家属的关注焦点，他们迫切希望获得有关亲人的任何信息，因为他们相信洪水来袭时，亲人就在该检查站。

答案在这里并不显而易见。这座庞大的五层边境检查站设施，曾经以中国政府建筑特有的宏伟气势耸立于周围地区，如今已荡然无存。现在唯一能看到的，只有它的地基遗迹。

这里其他地方也一样，曾经有旅行社、超市，还有一座连接中国和尼泊尔的桥梁。如今，一切都被夷为平地，被泥石流吞噬殆尽。

进入灾区，漫天尘土和浓雾弥漫。到处都是救援车辆和工作人员在指挥交通。道路完全损毁，铺上了碎石以方便通行。

港口方面迟迟没有公布受影响人员的信息，这与尼泊尔的情况形成鲜明对比，尼泊尔方面经常更新获救人数或确认死亡人数。

根据中国近两天前发布的最新数据，中印边境地区已确认31人死亡，531人失踪。西藏地方当局本周早些时候表示，失踪人员中有超过250名外国人。

中国当局尚未公开公布事发时在口岸的人员名单，以及据信在边境这边失踪的人员名单。这引发了人们对透明度的质疑——尤其是那些迫切想知道失踪亲人消息的家属。

北京方面辩称，其从偏远灾区发布信息是公开透明且及时的。周日，北京精心安排了一次访问灾区的行程，邀请了包括CNN在内的十几家国际媒体记者前往现场，旨在展示港口正在进行的救援行动。

此次行程由中国外交部和国务院新闻办公室联合组织。虽然CNN只是跟随官方安排的行程进入这一限制区域，但它保留了完全的编辑控制权。

据两国当局称，周三发生的灾难已造成超过1000人死亡，数千人失踪。

这次旅行让我更加深刻地体会到这个地区的偏远程度，以及救援人员开展救援工作的困难。

抵达西藏这片区域本身就是一项艰巨的任务；该地区地域辽阔。CNN团队周六从西藏自治区首府拉萨驱车约八小时抵达靠近尼泊尔边境的定日市，途中海拔最高可达13000英尺（近4000米）。从最近的机场——定日市出发，又花了六个小时才到达海拔较低的6000英尺的港口。

一条通往港口的狭窄双车道公路蜿蜒于松林覆盖的山间，弯道无数。这些道路直到周三才被清理完毕——距离灾难发生已经过去了七天——最终使得数千名救援人员和重型机械得以进入灾区。此前，只有少数救援人员徒步或乘船、飞机进行救援行动。

过去11天的救援工作也因次生灾害风险而时常受阻，包括山体滑坡和新形成的所谓“堰塞湖”溃决。这些堰塞湖是由碎石和泥浆堵塞附近河流的部分河段而形成的。这些情况，加上暴雨和崎岖的山地地形，使得救援人员有时甚至难以通过空中力量抵达现场。

当局还警告说，尼泊尔朗唐里隆山冰川周围可能发生进一步的崩塌，该冰川发生裂缝和断裂，引发了 8 月 26 日的山体滑坡和洪水。

上周的灾难可能会促使中国和尼泊尔更加密切地监测这些风险，并加强两国之间的数据共享和预警系统建设，尤其是在气候变化导致自然灾害风险日益增加且变得更加难以预测的情况下。

但就目前而言，重点仍然是搜寻失踪者——对于失踪者的家属来说，则是获取有关他们亲人下落的信息，包括那些据信在那个不幸的早晨身处吉隆港的人。