Nepali authorities have reported that a dammed lake in Tibet has breached its banks, two days after a significant flash flood impacted the region. Helicopter rescue operations have been suspended, and local residents have been seen seeking higher ground.
"Information has been received that a water dam has burst again on the Tibetan side," police stated in a release. "All security personnel, rescue workers, and the general public deployed in rescue and relief operations are requested to remain alert and immediately move to a safe location/report the incident."
Narendra Pariyar, the senior bureaucrat for the district, observed on Friday that the water level in the river was visibly rising, though the precise height remains undetermined. The lake is situated approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Gyirong Port, a crucial border crossing between Nepal and China.
Nepali and Chinese authorities had previously issued warnings about potential further flooding originating from the lake, which had formed upstream following Wednesday's disaster and was already reported to be overflowing. They advised residents in vulnerable areas to relocate to safety.
According to China's Ministry of Water Resources, the lake was estimated to hold around 2 million cubic meters (70 million cubic feet) of water as of Thursday, with projections indicating an additional 3 million cubic meters (106 million cubic feet) could accumulate over the following three days. State broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday morning that the lake's barrier was situated more than 10 kilometers from Gyirong Port, a location that was inundated with mud and floodwaters earlier in the week.
The initial flash floods on Wednesday have resulted in at least 475 fatalities, according to official figures from Nepalese police.