Kathmandu, August 28
China has suspended an ongoing rescue operation in Tibet after the risk of further flooding increased due to a lake formed by a landslide.
Citing Chinese state-run broadcasters, Al Jazeera reported that the Chinese government had ordered rescue teams to move one kilometre away from the site. Hundreds of people remain missing in the Tibet region two days after the devastating landslide.
China suspended the rescue operation on Friday, citing a high risk of further flooding in Tibet. State-controlled media reported the development as hundreds of people remained missing two days after the devastating landslide.
According to China Central Television (CCTV), a lake formed by massive debris and mud deposited by the landslide along the China-Nepal border has filled up, causing water to flow towards the area where rescue teams had been operating. “All rescue teams have been ordered to remain on standby in a safe location and await further instructions,” CCTV reported. Emergency teams that had previously reached the area were also ordered to “withdraw one kilometre,” CCTV reported.
The lake was formed on Wednesday after a landslide carrying mud and debris struck Kerung, a border town in Tibet. Hundreds of people are reportedly missing following the incident. CCTV said continued rainfall is expected to cause the lake’s water level to rise over the next three days, with the level projected to peak around September 1.
This has increased the risk of the lake bursting its banks, potentially sending floodwaters into downstream areas and causing further damage to Kerung Port and other locations downstream, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported late Thursday.
CCTV said emergency engineering teams are closely monitoring the situation. By Friday, 499 Chinese nationals and 555 foreign nationals had been evacuated from the disaster-affected area to safety, CCTV reported. According to AFP, rescuers are continuing efforts to locate those still missing using drone-based 3D modelling and thermal imaging technology, as well as manual searches.
