[Anchor]

Soldiers and police have been deployed to the disaster site to conduct search and rescue operations for survivors. However, rescue efforts are facing major difficulties as the area is entirely choked with thick mud and building debris.

Reporter Yu Deok-gi has the details.

[Reporter]

A Nepali soldier carries a mud-covered survivor on his back to safety.

Taking even a single step is a struggle in the thick, waterlogged muck.

An elderly woman, rescued from the middle of the mud and loaded onto a tractor by villagers, is also covered head-to-toe in mud.

Overwhelmed by the sudden disaster, the woman appears completely dazed.

Even among those fortunate enough to be rescued, most have lost their families and their entire livelihoods.

[Keshab Prasad Baral / Survivor: I was on the terrace, and the floodwaters rose up to the roof. People were dying. It took about an hour for the water to recede a bit, but my wife was already buried (in the landslide).]

[Jaleshwar Kumar Sahni / Survivor: Everything was destroyed in just 15 minutes. We have nothing left.]

On the second day since the floods and landslides struck, Nepali authorities have deployed military and police to the disaster zone, mobilizing more than 3,000 police officers alone.

Yet, the search for survivors and rescue operations remain immensely challenging.

Swift currents still flow, filled with debris ranging from massive boulders rolled down from mountains to fragments of buildings and bridges. Even when victims' bodies are spotted in the torrents, rescuers are unable to reach them.

In areas where the water has receded, mud has piled up higher than an adult's waist.

With bridges and roads destroyed, some regions are not only impossible to access, but even assessing the full scale of the damage is difficult. As a result, Nepali authorities have requested assistance not only from military helicopters but also from private aircraft.

Due to the sudden influx of large-scale casualties, local medical facilities are facing shortages, leaving them struggling to treat survivors and accommodate bodies.

Search and rescue operations in the Gyirong County area of Tibet, China, are also facing setbacks due to destroyed infrastructure and landslide debris.

[CCTV Reporter, Chinese State Media: The edge of the mud-rock flow (caused by the landslide) is nearly 1.5 meters thick. This has created massive hurdles for the rescue work.]

Rain is forecasted to fall across the entirety of Gyirong County, Tibet, from tomorrow through Sunday, which is expected to add further pressure to the search and rescue efforts.

(Video Editing: Oh Young-taek)