The death toll from catastrophic flash floods and mudslides at the Gyirong Port border crossing between China and Nepal continued to rise on Friday, as concerns grew that a lake formed from the debris could breach, triggering further flooding.
As of Friday afternoon, five people were confirmed dead and 558 missing on the Chinese side of the border, with 469 dead and nearly 1,000 missing in Nepal.
The tragedy unfolded on Wednesday morning when a massive Himalayan landslide triggered a fast-moving debris flow that swept down from the border area, leaving widespread devastation in its wake.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, the torrent was travelling at up to 200km/h (124mph) and generated a wall of water as high as 15 metres (50 feet) when it slammed into the checkpoint.
Satellite images released on Thursday by state news agency Xinhua showed extensive mud and debris burying the checkpoint at Gyirong county in the city of Shigatse and its surrounding residential areas.
The Nepal-China Friendship Bridge was washed away, while large deposits of silt altered the river channel and surrounding terrain, obscuring roads and parts of original structures.
Affected facilities included customs staff quarters, homes, a parking area, police station compound and an immigration inspection building. Critical transport infrastructure was also severely damaged.
Meanwhile, concerns are growing over a newly formed barrier lake created by the massive landslide near the border, upstream from Gyirong, where water levels continued to rise.
The state broadcaster said in its update at noon on Friday that the barrier lake was holding more than 2.5 million cubic metres of water – the equivalent of 1,000 Olympic swimming pools.
The figure is also 25 per cent higher than the 2 million cubic metres recorded as of Thursday morning.
Earlier on Friday, CCTV reported that the barrier lake had already begun to overflow, forcing a temporary pause in ground rescue operations at the site while teams awaited further directions from command headquarters.
According to Xinhua, China’s Ministry of Water Resources has said that expected rainfall could add another 3 million cubic metres over the next three days to the lake, near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers.
The prospect of so much extra water raised the risk of a breach in the barrier lake that could trigger further flooding at Gyirong Port and downstream areas, the ministry warned.
The state broadcaster said on Friday morning that the barrier lake had already begun to overflow, forcing a temporary pause in ground rescue operations at the site while teams await further directions from command headquarters.
China’s National Immigration Administration said late on Thursday that it would suspend issuing electronic border-management permits for travel to Shigatse in the Tibet autonomous region, effective midnight on August 28.
Authorities strongly advised existing permit holders against travelling to the area.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived at the checkpoint on Thursday afternoon to direct disaster relief efforts and visit emergency responders. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
