China-Nepal floods: police officer filmed guiding people away from stricken border post
A massive mudslide triggered by a glacier collapse has devastated the Gyirong Port border area between China and Nepal. A police officer is being hailed for his efforts to evacuate civilians before the disaster, which has resulted in hundreds of deaths and missing persons across both nations.
Why it matters
The disaster underscores the extreme risks posed by climate-related geological events in mountainous border regions and the humanitarian crisis resulting from the high casualty count.
Video footage taken moments before a catastrophic mudslide hit a border post in Tibet this week shows how one police officer stationed there tried to guide civilians to safety.
The clip, which shows the officer trying to direct people away from the police station at Gyirong Port, went viral online in China over the weekend.
State broadcaster CCTV said the officer, whom it named as Huang Peng, also rushed into a nearby tourist service centre to tell those inside to evacuate.
The 34-year-old, who had served at the border station for 13 years, was on duty when the disaster struck on Wednesday and there has been no word on whether he survived.
The landslide was triggered by the collapse of a glacier about 7km (4.3 miles) from the border crossing.
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