Officials in Nepal and China warned on Thursday of a fresh risk of flooding in the Himalayan region as two lakes that formed following a recent disaster threaten to burst. The warning comes as both nations continue search operations following a flood on Wednesday that killed at least 362 people and left nearly 1,000 others missing along the border of Nepal and China’s Tibet.
Authorities in both countries attributed the initial disaster to a glacier collapse that sent a mixture of ice, rock, and mud into local river systems. On Thursday, Nepal's disaster authority reported that a lake formed by debris blocking a river at the flood site is rising. China reported a similar situation on its side of the border, where aerial footage showed water accumulating in a basin with no visible outlet.
China estimates that 3 million cubic meters of water—an amount comparable to 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools—will flow into the dammed lake over the next three days. A researcher at the water resources ministry's hydrology department projected that peak flow is expected around September 1. In response to the warnings, some rescue workers in Nepal, including a 13-member team led by Pawan Koirala, began moving to higher ground on Thursday.
The scale of the threat involves millions of cubic meters of water held back by debris and stones. The risk is compounded by forecasts of continued rainfall over the coming week, which Chinese state media said will increase the volume of water. Nepal's disaster authority has requested residents, travelers, and rescuers to stay away from riverbanks and risky areas. The full impact of a potential breach depends on whether the dams fail gradually or catastrophically, with peak water flow expected by September 1.