A catastrophic mudslide and flood have obliterated the Gyirong Port border crossing between China and Nepal.
A massive flood and mudslide, triggered by a collapsing glacier in Nepal, destroyed the Gyirong Port border crossing on August 26. The disaster obliterated the five-story customs building and surrounding infrastructure, leaving only the foundations of the facility. The port served as a primary trade artery between China and Nepal, accounting for a third of Nepal's trade with its northern neighbor. The disaster has resulted in significant casualties on both sides of the border. China reported 43 confirmed dead and 519 missing on its side, while Nepal reported over 1,300 deaths and thousands of missing persons. Rescue operations have been hampered by unstable geology, heavy mud, and the risk of secondary landslides. The destruction of the port has forced Nepal to divert cross-border traffic to the Korala crossing. This shift increases Nepal's reliance on India as its primary trade partner, as the floods also damaged the Tatopani route. Nepal will now require Chinese technical and financial assistance to rebuild the damaged infrastructure to restore its northern connectivity.
Sources
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On the ground in China’s wiped-out border zone, the fate of hundreds is still unknown
CNN
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Nepal floods: The remote Nepal-China border crossing at the heart of a Himalayan tragedy
BBC