Nepal-Tibet flood death toll climbs to 469 as over 1,300 remain missing
The death toll from Wednesday's glacier-triggered flash flood on the Nepal-Tibet border has risen to 469, with authorities warning a debris-clogged lake could burst and cause further flooding.
Nepal police reported on Friday that the death toll from Wednesday's flash flood has risen to 469, an increase of 80 from the previous update. Search and recovery teams continue working across the disaster zone, where more than 1,300 people remain unaccounted for, including hundreds of tourists from India, the US, Britain, Australia and Canada.
Recovery efforts have been hampered by the destruction of dozens of bridges and roughly 40km of roads in the mountainous region, an area popular with trekkers and pilgrims.
New flood risk looms
Chinese authorities have warned that an artificial lake formed after Wednesday's disaster near the China-Nepal border faces a "high risk of breaching," state news agency Xinhua reported. Forecasts suggest inflows into the lake could reach about 3 million cubic meters over the next three days amid continued rainfall, raising the risk of a breach that could send floodwaters downstream, including toward the Gyirong Port area.
Nepal's disaster authority has also flagged rising water levels in a lake formed by flood debris, warning it is at risk of bursting its banks.
Ongoing rescue operations
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said 555 tourists and 499 local residents had been evacuated from the disaster zone in Tibet as of Friday morning. The Red Cross estimates about 93,000 people may have been affected and has launched a $31m emergency appeal. Rescue teams and military helicopters continue to search for missing people along the mountainous Nepal-Tibet border.
