Beijing has sounded a Level-IV alert at the Tibet-Nepal border, warning that a newly formed barrier lake at the confluence of two rivers faces a high risk of breaching and flooding downstream areas. Over 469 people have been killed and 1,468 are missing after a massive flash flood hit Nepal this week, as authorities in China flagged more geological risk upstream.
Chinese state media had earlier confirmed three dead, taking the total killed to at least 472. More than 1,400 people are missing, including hundreds of foreigners.
China’s Ministry of Water Resources on Thursday night sounded an emergency in the Tibet Autonomous Region, cautioning of a threat posed by the barrier lake, which formed near the confluence of Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers. These rivers originate in Tibet and flow into Nepal as part of the Bhote Koshi river system.
