To Nepal for a new flood while the death toll rises to 469

The border between northern Nepal and southwestern Tibet holds its breath before the possibility of a new flood.Chinese authorities have had to temporarily suspend part of the rescue operations for people in the Tibetan county of Gyirong: a lake that has formed upstream after the rise has begun to overflow. Fear grips the place for fear of repeating the terrible images that were experienced in the area last Wednesday, and both countries have already warned of a high risk of flooding.

Nepalese authorities have raised this Friday to 469 the death toll from the terrible flood. The majority of the bodies recovered are in the Chitwan and Nawalparasi East districts. Likewise, they have estimated a total of 1,545 people injured who have been rescued, and the number of missing persons remains at 977, including 517 foreigners. As for China, it has not yet updated the number of deaths, which remains at 3 according to its records, in addition to hundreds of missing persons. In total, more than a thousand people continue to be unaccounted for.

It is in the Chinese part of the border between Nepal and Tibet where a new flood could occur. After the devastating rise of the Bhotekoshi River at the Gyirong border crossing, China has had to suspend rescue work in the area. A lake formed by the accumulation of mud and rocks 10 kilometers from where the flood occurred is beginning to overflow, according to Chinese state television CCTV. The bursting of this mass of water could occur in the next three days: the highest risk is forecast for September 1st.

Nepal's emergency authorities have asked the population to stay away from riverbanks and risk areas due to the threat of this new lake bursting. Chinese emergency teams are currently concentrated at the entrance to the town of Laojiang, awaiting further instructions.

A lake that keeps growing

It is believed that at the point where Wednesday's flood originated, the river became blocked and created an artificial lake that is constantly growing, according to the Nepal National Disaster Authority. Data collected by Chinese media in recent hours places the volume of water retained in this lake above two million cubic meters, but it could increase to three million in the next two or three days.

This accumulation of water is located at an altitude of approximately 2,950 meters and about 1,000 meters above the Gyirong pass, which is why authorities have warned that a sudden overflow could trigger new floods or landslides downstream. However, Nepalese experts currently rule out a scenario as catastrophic as the one experienced this week.

However, this fear further complicates rescue efforts, which were already very difficult due to the amount of ice, rock, and mud that swept through the area. It is believed that the fall of a glacier is what caused the overflow of the river that separates China from Nepal and caused a major catastrophe in this region of the Himalayas.