New flood risks impede Nepal, Tibet rescue

NUWAKOT, Aug 28: Rescuers ploughed on with their search Friday for survivors of deadly floods and landslides that struck Nepal and Tibet, with the threat of new torrents complicating their gargantuan task.

Emergency teams have recovered 482 bodies after a tsunami-like wall of water and mud crashed down on Wednesday, burying homes, smashing bridges and sweeping away vehicles.

More than 1,400 people are missing, including trekkers in the Himalayas and scores of Hindu pilgrims to Tibet's sacred snow-capped Mount Kailash.

The US Geological Survey said the disaster -- the deadliest for Nepal since a 2015 earthquake -- was caused by a glacial collapse that triggered a vast flow of icy debris.

The deluge of ice and mud also caused huge pools of water to form, with one of these formations becoming a direct threat to emergency workers scouring the region for survivors.

Nepali police urged all rescuers to "immediately move to a safe location", saying it had received information that "a water dam has burst again on the Tibetan side".

Separately in Tibet, China had earlier Friday paused its rescue operation at the hardest-hit area of Gyirong over the risk of renewed flooding, before later saying the threat had eased.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that a lake formed by immense piles of debris began overflowing toward where rescue teams were headed, but later said the water level of the pool was dropping so the "the risk is gradually decreasing".

Rescue operations were therefore "proceeding in an orderly manner", it added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who chaired a meeting on rescue efforts Friday, offered Beijing's help to Nepal's emergency operations.

"China is willing to actively assist Nepal in its rescue efforts and provide support and aid to the best of its ability," Xi said in a condolence message to Nepal's president, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Emergency teams had been racing to retrieve survivors from affected zones, where the widespread devastation meant food and water supplies were running out.

The Nepali military had meanwhile located people trapped in the tunnel of Trishuli 3A hydropower project, where they were working to find a way in to extract the survivors.�" AFP