How did a Chinese rescue worker restore the road in Gyirong after the landslide
Zhang Xiaojun, an excavator operator from the state‑owned engineering and rescue enterprise China Aneng, was among the first to break through the massive landslide that blocked the main road to the Gyirong port in the Tibet Autonomous Region in southwestern China, bordering Nepal, reopening a vital route for rescue teams and heavy equipment.
When a mountain collapses, burying roads and hopes, it is not only soldiers and medics who find themselves on the front line, but also those who carve a path through mud and rocks — excavator operators, bulldozer drivers, people whose work remains behind the scenes but without whom a rescue operation is impossible. Zhang Xiaojun, who has worked in rescue services for 23 years, became one of those who, quite literally, broke through the wall of disaster. His excavator, balanced on the edge between mountain and raging river, became a symbol of indomitable will and professional skill.
When Zhang arrived at the site a week ago — shortly after the devastating landslide on the China‑Nepal border on 26 August — the highway was buried under mud and floodwaters. The road was completely blocked, and the only way forward was the river. "The entire road was covered in mud and debris. All we could see was a fast‑flowing river," Zhang said. With a mountain on one side and a torrent on the other, the team had no choice but to build a temporary path through the raging water. "We threw stones into the water, but the current washed them away. So we had to use bigger rocks and build with them," he said. The most difficult section took a full day and night to complete. For Zhang, who has 23 years of rescue experience, this was the largest landslide he had ever encountered. "The current was incredibly strong. When we lowered the bucket into the water, you could feel the force of the current pushing the excavator and even turning it," Zhang said. At home, his family followed the operation from afar. "My daughter kept video‑calling me. Every time, she said: 'Dad, please be careful,'" he recalled.
The fast‑moving chain landslide, triggered by the collapse of a high‑altitude glacier in Nepal, struck the Gyirong port on the China‑Nepal border on 26 August. As of 18:00 on Friday, local authorities confirmed 31 deaths on the Chinese side, with another 531 people still missing. On Friday, China's Ministry of National Defence deployed 726 military personnel to the disaster zone for rescue operations.
The Gyirong disaster has become one of the most destructive in the region in recent decades. The glacier collapse on the Nepalese side triggered a powerful debris flow that blocked the river and destroyed infrastructure. Rescue operations are complicated by difficult terrain, ongoing landslides and unstable weather. Zhang Xiaojun's work and that of his colleagues allowed the road to be restored, enabling heavy machinery and reinforcements to pass. However, the death toll continues to rise, and the search for the missing continues around the clock.
As CCTV+ reports, Zhang Xiaojun's story is the story of thousands of rescuers who risk their lives every day to reach those trapped. Restoring the road was a crucial step in the rescue operation, but many days of work still lie ahead. Every metre of cleared path is a step towards salvation, and every rescuer, like Zhang, knows that his family is waiting for him at home, and his country relies on his skill and courage.
