Tibet flood rescues halted due to lake burst fears; Nepal death toll climbs

Rescue operations at the epicenter of catastrophic flooding in Tibet have been halted amid fears that a newly formed lake poses a risk of bursting, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. This pause comes as the overall death toll in Nepal has climbed to 469, with over 1,300 individuals still missing.

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All rescue teams have been ordered to stand by in place and wait for further instructions.

The lake, created by immense piles of mud and debris from Wednesday's flash floods, has begun overflowing towards the area where rescue teams were operating. Emergency teams that had gained access to the site have been ordered to withdraw a kilometer, and all rescue personnel are on standby for further instructions. The floods, triggered by a wall of mud and debris hitting the border town of Gyirong in Tibet, have obliterated villages as they thundered down valleys.

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Emergency teams that had earlier accessed the area “have been ordered to withdraw one kilometre,”

International aid efforts are underway for flood-stricken parts of Nepal and Tibet. However, search and rescue operations, which include efforts to locate hundreds of tourists, are severely hampered by the destruction of numerous bridges and miles of roads in the mountainous terrain, a popular area for trekkers and pilgrims. Chinese authorities have released scant information about the destruction on their side, with only brief, state-controlled media reports circulating and confirming just three deaths.

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Our focus is in search and rescue of people … some people are trapped in the tunnel of Trishuli 3A hydropower project.

In Nepal, army helicopter teams were working to rescue approximately 100 people trapped inside a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project, which was inundated by the floodwaters. Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet stated that locating the tunnel's entry points is challenging, despite deploying two helicopters. Relief efforts are also in progress for those rescued. The prime minister's office confirmed that the army is operating under difficult conditions, having already rescued 350 workers and local residents from the tunnel. Rescue teams have also found bodies downstream in Nepal's Chitwan district, near the Tibetan border.

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Two helicopters have been dispatched but it is challenging because it is tough to even locate the entry points of the tunnel. Relief efforts are also under way to provide the rescued people what they need.