China warns lake formed by mudslide on Nepal border may burst, risking new floods
Chinese authorities have warned that a lake created by a mudslide in Tibet could breach and unleash further flooding downstream, after hundreds were already evacuated from the area.
Chinese authorities said Friday that a lake formed by a mudslide near the border with Nepal, in the Tibet Autonomous Region, could breach in the coming days and send floodwaters further downstream, posing renewed danger to nearby areas. Officials expect the lake's water level to keep rising over the next three days.
So far, 499 residents and 555 tourists have been evacuated from the disaster zone. Rescue teams are using heavy machinery to clear roads leading into the mudslide-affected areas to allow access for further response efforts.
Search for missing continues
A search operation is ongoing for roughly 1,300 people who went missing after a glacial collapse triggered a torrent of mud and water that swept across parts of Nepal and China's Tibet region.
Both Nepal and China have separately warned of fresh flood risks in the Himalayas, as two lakes have formed on either side of their shared border and threaten to burst. Authorities in both countries are closely monitoring the situation and assessing the danger to downstream communities.
According to an update from Nepali police, the flooding disaster along the Nepal-Tibet border has already killed at least 359 people.
