Global Times: China’s Ministry of Water Resources said that a significant barrier lake has formed near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers in Nepal, with its water volume estimated at 2 million cubic meters as of Thursday morning and the lake already overflowing. Another 3 million cubic meters of water is expected to flow into the lake over the next three days, posing a high risk of a breach, China Central Television reported Thursday.
The ministry is closely monitoring the lake’s developments and conducting flood simulations and analyses to prepare for a potential breach and provide support for emergency rescue efforts.
Chinese authorities have mobilized rescue forces on multiple fronts after a devastating mudslide originating on the Nepalese side of the China-Nepal border struck Gyirong Port in Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, with emergency responders, the People’s Liberation Army, engineering teams, telecom operators and relief organizations rushing personnel, aircraft, equipment and supplies to the disaster area as rescuers race against difficult terrain, continued rainfall and mounting risks of secondary disasters.
As of Thursday morning, three people had been confirmed dead, two rescued and 558 remained missing, including 260 foreign nationals, in the disaster.
