Nepal and China have paused rescue efforts for survivors of the devastating flash flood that hit the border region two days ago as a “barrier lake” formed during the disaster began to overflow. Chinese rescue teams and vehicles were forced to pull back to safe ground, state broadcaster CCTV reported, as the risk of the lake bursting rose. Nepalese authorities also paused search operations for 90 minutes, an army officer confirmed.
The “barrier lake”, formed as Wednesday’s flash flood carried huge volumes of mud and debris down a steep valley, is threatening to unleash another huge and destructive wave. In Nepal’s Rasuwa district, on the border with Tibet, residents were seen scrambling up hillsides to escape potential surges in the river level, according to the news agency. The disaster unfolded as a glacier collapsed and sent a huge torrent of ice, water, rock, and mud down Himalayan river valleys, burying entire villages and destroying roads, bridges, and hydropower plants.
In its wake, leftover debris trapped water to form a barrier lake, a natural dam created when landslides block a river. With water continuing to pour into the lake, the threat to downstream communities of another wave of flooding is rising. China has deployed an engineering team to conduct aerial surveys and 3D modelling of the site.
By Friday, the lake’s volume had swelled to more than 2.5 million cubic metres, up from the estimated 1.5 to 2 million cubic metres recorded just a day earlier. Downstream in Nepal, officials received warnings that the lake had begun breaking its bank, according to Narendra Pariyar, the top administrator in the hard-hit Rasuwa district. The death toll from the disaster has surpassed 470.
On Friday, the Nepalese prime minister’s office reported 469 confirmed deaths, with 977 people still missing. About 1,550 people have been rescued. Chinese authorities reported on Friday that the death toll in Tibet has now risen to at least five, with 558 missing.
Bishal Nath Upreti, president of the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management, told Al Jazeera that conditions are “extremely difficult” for those trapped in the disaster zone, as destroyed roads have left them completely cut off. So far, about 800 people have been rescued by helicopter and 700 by land, with airlifts delivering vital aid to survivors. Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, said the number of missing is expected to rise.
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