China halts rescue at Tibet disaster epicentre over flood risk
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Rescue workers carry relief supplies on Aug 27 following the devastating mudslide in Gyirong county.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- China halted rescue efforts in Tibet due to the high risk of flooding from an overflowing lake formed by a mudslide.
- Hundreds remain missing after the mudslide hit Gyirong on Aug 26, with water levels expected to peak around Sept 1.
- Rescue teams use drones and thermal imaging but were ordered to withdraw 1km, while over 1,000 people have been evacuated from the disaster zone.
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BEIJING – China paused a rescue operation on Aug 28, citing the high risk of renewed flooding in Tibet, where hundreds remain missing two days after a deadly mudslide, state media said.
A lake formed by immense piles of debris after a mudslide hit the China-Nepal border has begun overflowing towards the area that rescue teams were headed, state broadcaster CCTV said.
“All rescue teams have been ordered to stand by in place and wait for further instructions,” it said.
Emergency teams, which had earlier accessed the area, “have been ordered to withdraw 1km”, the broadcaster added.
The lake formed after a wall of mud and debris hit the border hub of Gyirong in Tibet on Aug 26, with hundreds reported missing.
CCTV said water levels at the lake were expected to rise over the next three days due to continued rainfall, peaking around Sept 1.
This increases “the risk of a breach that could send floodwaters downstream and potentially cause further damage in areas including Gyirong Port and elsewhere downstream”, state news agency Xinhua reported late on Aug 27.
Emergency engineering teams were closely monitoring the situation, said CCTV.
CCTV also said that 499 Chinese nationals and 555 foreigners had been transported out of the disaster zone as of Aug 28.
Rescue workers are using drone-based 3D modelling and thermal imaging detection, as well as manual searches, to locate those still missing, said CCTV. AFP
