Landslide lake overflows on Nepal-China border, halting rescue efforts

Kathmandu, Nepal. A lake formed by a landslide on the Nepal-China border began overflowing on Friday, threatening communities devastated by a flash flood two days earlier and prompting a temporary halt to rescue operations.

Residents in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, bordering China’s Tibet, were seen moving up hillsides amid fears of a surge in river levels.

Rescue operations suspended

The risk of the lake bursting led Chinese rescue personnel and vehicles to withdraw to a safe area, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Nepalese authorities suspended rescue operations for 90 minutes, according to an army officer.

Death toll and missing people

The confirmed death toll from Wednesday’s glacier collapse rose to 469 in Nepal. Almost 1,000 more people remain missing in Nepal and Tibet, including at least 540 foreigners.

A torrent of rock, ice, mud and debris swept through Himalayan river systems following the collapse, destroying villages, power stations, roads and bridges along a route linking Kathmandu and Lhasa that is used by trekkers and pilgrims.

Rising water levels

Debris from the disaster formed a barrier lake, raising concerns about further flooding downstream.

China deployed an eight-member engineering team on Thursday to conduct aerial surveys and create a 3D model of the lake. By Friday, the reservoir contained more than 2.5 million cubic metres of water, compared with an estimated 1.5 million to 2 million cubic metres a day earlier.

Narendra Pariyar, the senior official in hard-hit Rasuwa district, said Nepalese authorities had received a warning that the glacial lake had breached its bank.

“We can see that the level of water in the river is rising,” he said, adding that the current level was unclear.