Two helicopters from an army aviation brigade under the Xizang Military District were scrambled today (Aug 29) to carry out disaster relief airdrop missions at Gyirong Port.
Carrying food, medical supplies and rescue equipment, the two-aircraft formation took off from an airfield in Rikaze at 1:32 pm, before heading straight to the core disaster-hit zone at Gyirong Port to resupply frontline rescue workers.
The mission route traverses the Mela Pass at an altitude of over 5,000 metres, where weather conditions are notoriously harsh. In the disaster-stricken Gyirong area, low, thick cloud layers prevailed, with mountains frequently shrouded in cloud and strong turbulence occurring regularly in the airspace, increasing the difficulty of flight manoeuvring.
The helicopters were fully ready for departure at 8:40 am, but viable flight conditions did not emerge until 1:32 pm, leaving the crew on standby for almost five hours.
The disaster was triggered around 10:30 am on August 26, when a mudslide on the Nepalese side of the border caused heavy casualties and missing persons at Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, Rikaze, Xizang.
As of 1 am on August 29, two villagers from Resuo Village had been rescued. The Gyirong mudslide has so far claimed 7 lives and left 554 people unaccounted for.
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