# Reopening a Lifeline: Crews Push On With Clearing Highway G216

> Nearly a week after the disaster, rescue crews are still clearing sections of Highway G216 in Gyirong county destroyed by the mudslide, working to reopen the route for rescue vehicles and supplies. By the fifth day of the response, 16 deaths had been confirmed and 546 people remained missing.

- Source: Times of China (Times of China)
- Canonical URL: https://timesofchina.cn.com/en/article/gyirong-mudslide-highway-g216-clearance
- Chinese edition: https://timesofchina.cn.com/article/gyirong-mudslide-highway-g216-clearance
- Author: 中国时报编辑部
- Section: Top News
- Published: 2026-08-30T14:00:00+08:00
- Updated: 2026-08-30T14:00:00+08:00
- Tags: 吉隆口岸, 泥石流, 216国道, 西藏, 应急救援

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Nearly a week after the disaster struck, rescue forces in Gyirong county, Shigatse, in China's Xizang autonomous region, are still working to clear sections of Highway G216 that were destroyed by the mudslide. Footage from Sunday showed a line of excavators working in tandem along a stretch of road hemmed in by steep cliffs, clearing away accumulated mud and rock to reopen a path for rescue vehicles and supplies.

## Reopening a lifeline

Highway G216 is a key route linking Gyirong port to the outside world, and it was cut off when the mudslide struck, along with communication and power infrastructure in the area. Clearing the damaged sections has become one of the critical tasks in the ongoing response, since it directly affects how quickly rescue equipment, medical supplies and gear needed for handling the upstream barrier lake can reach the site.

As the rescue and verification work has continued, the official count of the dead and missing has kept changing. By the fifth day of the response, reports put the confirmed death toll at 16, with 546 people still listed as missing. The disaster, which struck a border area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, has posed a persistent challenge for both reopening roads and continuing the search given the region's high altitude, thin air and difficult terrain.

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Originally published by Times of China. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://timesofchina.cn.com/en/article/gyirong-mudslide-highway-g216-clearance.