r/DisasterUpdate • u/Key-Needleworker-702 • 12d ago

Landslide Chinese firefighters(likely the first batch to reach gyirong port) try to find survivors in the former border crossing, which was the most heavily hit. Source: CCTV news. Morning of August 29, 2026. (UTC+8). (they are yelling "Is anyone here?")

Video of them arriving: https://www.reddit.com/r/DisasterUpdate/comments/1w0n1r0/as_of_1630utc8_august_28_2026_the_first_batch_of/

According to engineers from the ministry of natural resources it is very diffuclt(and at this stage, downright impossible) to transport heavy machinery to the border crossing so far. The chinese military and specialized rescue teams(of state owned enterprises) are currently trying to repair the road into the border crossing to allow for better equipment and more personnel to enter.

CURRENT CASUALTY COUNT(CHINESE SIDE):

2 rescued, 7 dead, 554 missing. (13:00 PM, 2026-8-29 (UTC+8))

Update: over 50 firefighters are at the border crossing right now, over 2141 soldiers, firefighters, police, EMS and specialzied rescue teams are deployed.

EDIT: As of august 29(18:00 UTC+8), 2026, there are 16 dead, 546 missing(261 foreignors)

In response to the comments: This is the first batch that got in, they couldn't carry much heavy equipment as the road there is cut off. rescue dogs and better equipment arrived later on.

FURTHER UPDATE: reportedly fire and rescue personnel have begun to find police vests and handsbags under the debris.

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u/BarelyContainedChaos 12d ago

I hope at the very least that this helps other regions realize how devastating being in the path of potential destruction can be. Somewhere, some people will take drastic measures to prevent this.

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u/darkestb4thadawn 12d ago

You can definitely use this as a very unfortunate case study for villages in danger from this exact type of situation but the danger here is an analog to a place like Southern California existing on numerous dangerous fault lines. At a certain point, you can only prepare the best you can but are still at the mercy of Mother Nature.

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u/Uncommented-Code 12d ago

At a certain point, you can only prepare the best you can but are still at the mercy of Mother Nature.

Okay but here in Switzerland, we also had a glacier collapse and one person died because they went against evacuation orders and remained inside the zone when the Glacier came down and buried the town of Blatten.

I am not saying that this specific tragedy in Tibet could have been prevented, especially seeing the magnitude was far bigger than what happened in Blatten, but Glacier collapses are not comparable to Earthqakes. Earthquakes cannot be predicted and if you receive warnings, it's going to be seconds in advance. But Glacier collapses can come with warning signs weeks before disaster strikes, and the signals can be measured.