Artificial lake from Nepal‑Tibet flash flood threatens renewed inundation while rescue teams hunt survivors

Key events

Rescuers have evacuated 555 stranded tourists from Tibet, Chinese state media reported on Friday.

State broadcaster CCTV said 499 local residents, as well as 555 tourists, had been transported out of the disaster zone as of Friday morning. The nationalities of the tourists were not specified.

Summary: river at risk of flooding again amid race to find survivors

Chinese authorities have warned that an artificial lake formed after a catastrophic flash flood hit the China‑Nepal border on Wednesday faces a “high risk of breaching and sending flood waters downstream”, according to state media.

“According to forecasts, inflows into the lake could reach about 3 million cubic meters over the next three days amid continued rainfall, increasing the risk of a breach that could send flood waters downstream and potentially cause further damage in areas including Gyirong Port and elsewhere downstream”, state news agency Xinhua reported late on Thursday.

Nepal’s disaster authority also warned of new flooding risks, noting that water levels were rising in a debris‑clogged lake and that the site was at risk of bursting its banks. The specific location was not disclosed.

Meanwhile, rescue teams and military helicopters continue searching for hundreds of missing individuals along the mountainous border, with the Red Cross estimating that about 93 000 people may have been affected. The organization launched an emergency appeal for $31 million to support response efforts.

Also today:

• Rescue teams and military helicopters are scouring the rugged Nepal‑Tibet border for hundreds of missing individuals after a massive water and mud surge caused by a glacier collapse swept through communities on Wednesday.

• Authorities in Nepal and China confirmed that more than 390 people were killed and over 1 400 remain missing, including numerous foreign nationals and pilgrims.

• Police and tourism officials reported that over 500 foreign nationals are among the 826 people missing in Nepal, with casualties from India (177), the United States (90), Australia (39), the United Kingdom (33) and Canada (25).

• Chinese state media indicated that at least 558 individuals are listed as missing on the Tibet side of the border, of which a minimum of 260 are foreign nationals.

• UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher announced the release of $2 million from the UN’s central emergency response fund to support medical care, shelter and water supplies.

• US President Donald Trump described the flooding as “terrible to see”, noting that even strong, well‑built structures were obliterated “like toothpicks”.

• Nepalese officials reported that dozens of bridges have been destroyed and roughly 40 kilometres of roads damaged, complicating search efforts.

• The Nepalese army has rescued over 100 people via helicopter, according to a spokesperson, and evacuated individuals trapped in facilities linked to the Trishuli hydropower project. Dozens of injured survivors have been airlifted to Kathmandu for medical treatment.

• Rescuers have recovered bodies in Nepal’s Chitwan district, located hundreds of kilometres downstream from the most severely affected zones.

• The Nepal Red Cross Society announced a transition from rescue to large‑scale relief operations in the flood‑hit districts.

• China’s Premier Li Qiang travelled to Gyirong on Thursday to oversee rescue operations, accompanied by 500 military and paramilitary personnel.

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