A landslide-dammed lake along the Nepal-China border began overflowing Friday, raising fears of another surge in already devastated areas and forcing authorities to temporarily suspend rescue operations.
Residents in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, near the border with China’s Tibet region, were seen scrambling up hillsides to escape a possible rise in river levels, according to a Reuters witness.
The threat of the lake bursting prompted Chinese authorities to withdraw all rescue personnel and vehicles to a designated safe area, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Nepalese authorities also halted rescue operations for 90 minutes as a precaution, according to an army officer.
The latest threat comes two days after a devastating flash flood swept through the Himalayan region, killing at least 469 people in Nepal and leaving nearly 1,000 others missing across Nepal and Tibet.
Workers repair a section of road leading to Gyirong Port, which was damaged by a mudslide two days earlier, in Gyirong County, western Tibet, China, Aug. 28, 2026. (AFP Photo)
