With hundreds still missing in Nepal a day after a flash flood ravaged several districts in the country’s north, rescuers searched mud-filled valleys and hills for survivors as the official death count climbed to 392 Thursday night. In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs reported that at least 290 Indians were still missing and around 200 others were stranded on the Chinese side of the Sino-Nepal border. The ministry stated that India was in contact with authorities in Nepal and China to coordinate their rescue efforts.
Search and Rescue Operations
As the Nepal Army and security personnel stepped up search and rescue operations, the flood forecasting division of the Meteorology Department, quoting Chinese officials, warned about the formation of "a significant barrier lake" on the Tibetan side, which posed a new threat. This prompted authorities to alert residents on either side of the Trishuli River to take safety measures and exercise extreme caution.
“"A significant barrier lake has formed near the confluence of the Chhochen and Purepu Tsangpo rivers across the border in Tibet with its current water volume estimated at 2 million cubic metres as of Thursday morning with the lake already overflowing. Another 3 million cubic metres of water is expected to flow into the lake over the next three days, posing a high risk of a breach," the warning stated.
So far, over 1,000 people have been moved to safety, with 60 percent of them from the worst-hit Rasuwa district alone. Government officials have been checking with travel agents about pilgrims who had arrived in Nepal for the journey to Kailash Mansarovar.
