Gyirong: China has temporarily suspended rescue operations in Tibet, citing the risk of renewed flooding from a lake formed after a deadly landslide, state media reported.
Rescue teams had been searching for hundreds of people missing on the Tibetan side of the Nepal-China border, two days after a massive torrent of mud and water swept through the region.
The rising water level upstream from Gyirong port, the land border crossing between Nepal and Tibet that was devastated by the disaster on Wednesday, is being closely monitored.
Heavy rain in the area raised fears that a lake formed by debris from the landslide could breach its banks, sending another surge of water downstream. Chinese state media reported that rescuers in the affected area had been instructed to halt operations temporarily because of the danger, as reported by News18.
More than 550 people have been reported missing on the Tibetan side of the border. At least 260 of them are foreign nationals, including pilgrims travelling towards Mount Kailash, one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the region.
The landslide triggered a huge flow of rock, ice, mud and water through Himalayan valleys, destroying infrastructure and sweeping away the Gyirong border crossing. The disaster also affected communities and critical infrastructure on the Nepalese side of the border.
The latest suspension comes as authorities on both sides remain on alert for further flooding. Debris from the landslide has blocked parts of river systems, creating temporary lakes whose water levels are continuing to be monitored.
The Nepalese army has dispatched two helicopters to search for people missing inside or around a hydropower tunnel in Trishuli. Each helicopter can carry up to 25 people, according to the army.
Workers and residents living around the hydropower project, were rescued from the site on Thursday.
The disaster has severely disrupted transport and communications across the mountainous border region, with damaged roads and bridges making rescue efforts particularly difficult. Authorities have warned that continued rain could trigger additional landslides and flooding, further complicating the search for survivors.