'High risk' of lake bursting and causing second flood, warns China
Chinese authorities have issued a high-risk warning for a barrier lake formed by a recent landslide near the Nepal-Tibet border. The lake is overflowing, forcing the suspension of search and rescue operations for victims of the previous flash flood.
Why it matters
The potential breach of the barrier lake threatens to cause a secondary disaster, complicating recovery efforts in an already devastated region.
Image source, CCTV Image caption, The lake has formed in a location upstream from the site of Wednesday's flash flood
China has warned there is a "high risk" that a lake which formed after the recent landslide near the Nepal-Tibet border may burst, causing a second flood downstream.
The warning comes after Wednesday's deadly flash flood in the same area which scientists say was triggered by the collapse of a mountain glacier into a river .
As of Friday morning, an estimated 2.5 million cubic metres of water had accumulated at the barrier lake, according to state broadcaster CCTV. A barrier lake is a body of water formed when debris dams up a river.
Officials said that three million cubic metres of water is expected to flow into the lake between Thursday and Saturday, posing a "high risk of breach".
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