PLA Western Theater Command Deploys Directing Group for Rescue Operations in Mudslide-Hit Gyirong
Dragon Media News Desk
The Western Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has dispatched a directing group to Gyirong County in the Xizang Autonomous Region to coordinate joint military rescue operations following a major mudslide.
The group was flown to the affected area on Thursday morning aboard a Y-20 transport aircraft operated by the Western Theater Command. It will organize and coordinate military forces assisting with disaster relief.
According to initial estimates released Thursday morning, the mudslide that struck on Wednesday had left three people dead and 558 others missing in Gyirong. The number of missing people remains preliminary and may change as search operations and verification continue.
The Western Theater Command said it responded immediately after the disaster by mobilizing multiple rescue forces to the affected area. Their tasks include clearing blocked roads, assessing damage, conducting search and rescue operations, and relocating residents from dangerous areas.
The newly deployed directing group will assume unified command over rescue units from the PLA and the People’s Armed Police Force.
Aviation, medical, transportation and engineering units have also been placed on full readiness so they can be deployed rapidly when required.
Gyirong is a strategically important border area connecting China with Nepal. The disaster has affected a geographically difficult high-altitude region where landslides, damaged roads and disrupted access are complicating rescue operations.
Chinese authorities are currently combining military, armed police and civilian emergency resources in an effort to accelerate search, rescue, road clearance and the relocation of affected residents.
