China has warned of a “high risk” that a newly formed lake near the Nepal-Tibet border could breach its banks and send another surge of water downstream. The warning comes after Wednesday’s deadly flash flood, which scientists believe was triggered by the collapse of a mountain glacier into a river. Hundreds have died in Nepal, with many more missing, while more than 550 people remain unaccounted for on the Tibet side. Lake swells as unstable mountain threatens chaos By Friday, around 2.5 million cubic metres of water had accumulated behind a debris dam at the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers. Officials warned that another three million cubic metres could flow into the lake before the weekend, raising fears of a breach. The lake had already begun overflowing on Thursday before an avalanche deposited an estimated 50,000 cubic metres of ice debris into the water. Rescue operation halted as danger rises Chinese authorities ordered preparations for emergency evacuations as rescue operations were suspended around 7km from Gyirong Port, a major crossing between Nepal and China. State media later reported that the upstream threat had been brought under control and rescue work resumed. Engineering teams are now monitoring water levels and weather conditions, while drones are being used to deliver equipment and supplies. Experts warn the mountain is still unstable Geoscientist Jakob Steiner said further collapses remained possible, particularly if more material crashed into the lake and displaced water. He warned that a breach was unlikely to produce another huge deluge on the scale of Wednesday’s disaster because the lake is relatively new and shallow. But released water could scour already weakened valley walls, triggering erosion and further landslides. Heavy rain adds another threat Forecasters are expecting storms and heavy rainfall, potentially swelling the lake further. Experts say authorities may have little choice but to allow the water to drain naturally, as difficult terrain makes transporting heavy machinery to artificially drain it extremely challenging. Nepal has separately warned of possible blockages and further flooding along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers, urging people to stay away. The immediate flood may have passed, but scientists warn the landscape remains dangerously unstable — with the threat of a second disaster still hanging over the valley. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg8l2x8wr8o
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