Key facts
- The risk of a glacial lake bursting near the China-Nepal border has decreased, according to Chinese authorities.
- Satellite imagery indicates the lake's size has shrunk and water is flowing through it.
- The lake formed after a devastating flood earlier this week caused by a glacier collapse.
- The lake's surface area was 99,000 sqm on Saturday morning, down from Thursday.
- Rescue operations were temporarily halted on Friday due to an overflow from the lake.
The threat of a glacial lake bursting near the China-Nepal border, formed after a devastating flood earlier this week, has diminished, Chinese authorities announced Saturday. Satellite images from Thursday to Saturday morning indicate the lake's size has shrunk, with water slowly flowing through it and decreasing the reservoir.
The lake, straddling the border at the confluence of two rivers, had a surface area of 99,000 square meters on Saturday morning, a reduction of 21,000 square meters since Thursday, according to state broadcaster CCTV citing the Water Resources Ministry. This area is equivalent to about 14 football fields.
The flood, caused by a glacier collapse on Wednesday, sent a torrent of rock, ice, and debris through Himalayan river systems, destroying a border port complex and resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands missing. Experts had warned of high risks of secondary disasters, including from the newly formed lake, which could endanger downstream rescue operations.
China Anneng, a state-owned engineering firm monitoring the lake, dispatched a team with drones and surveillance cameras to gather more data. An overflow from the lake on Friday had temporarily halted rescue work before risks were deemed manageable. Authorities are also monitoring a second, larger body of water at the glacier collapse site, whose depth is currently unknown.
Despite the reduced risk, flood risks will persist until both lakes are fully drained, an official from Nepal's Disaster Management Authority noted. Rescue efforts continue in the challenging conditions, with China's death toll rising to seven and 554 people still missing.