Barrier Lake Forms After Gyirong Port Mudslide

Drone imagery captured a barrier lake that formed upstream of Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, Xizang Autonomous Region, after a mudslide on 28 August 2026, according to Xinhua.

Aerial drone images released on 28 August 2026 show the extent of flooding and debris near Gyirong Port in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region following the mudslide disaster.

As of 3 p.m. on 28 August 2026, 5 people had been killed and 558 remained missing after the mudslide struck Gyirong Port, according to Xizang's emergency management department.

The mudslide struck a port on the China-Nepal border in Gyirong County, a key transit zone in southwest Xizang Autonomous Region, triggering a large-scale emergency response, according to regional authorities.

Rescue operations were under way in Gyirong County, Xizang, following the 28 August 2026 mudslide, with authorities searching for 558 missing persons as emergency teams mobilised along the affected area upstream of Gyirong Port.

The barrier lake formed upstream of Gyirong Port after the 28 August 2026 mudslide poses a secondary flood risk to downstream areas in Gyirong County, a concern common to landslide-dammed water bodies in mountainous Xizang.