Washington/Beijing/Kathmandu, 27 August (H.S.): The threat of landslides, mudslides and further flooding remains acute in Gyirong County in flood-ravaged Tibet, with rain forecast for the next three days. Mudslides are repeatedly creating unstable natural dams in the region. Gyirong County is part of Shigatse Prefecture in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region and lies along Nepal’s southwestern border. The devastating floods that swept in from Tibet on Wednesday caused extensive loss of life and property in Nepal.

According to reports by CNN and Xinhua, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has determined that the catastrophic flooding in Nepal and China’s Gyirong County was triggered by the collapse of a glacier — a massive body of ice. The USGS said the geological disturbance was so powerful that it was initially assessed as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake. However, detailed analysis of data from surrounding seismological stations, long-period seismic waves and satellite imagery subsequently established that the event was not an earthquake but a glacier-collapse and debris-flow incident.

According to the World Wildlife Fund in the United States and Canada, glaciers in Nepal are retreating by as much as 15 metres (50 feet) every year. Such changes can destabilise mountain slopes and lead to the formation of large, unstable lakes. If these lakes breach, they can trigger catastrophic floods.

According to the latest figures from the Nepal Tourism Board, at least 517 foreign nationals remain unaccounted for. China has said that 260 foreigners are missing on its side of the border. China’s Foreign Ministry said definitive information about the foreigners is still being verified, adding that some are tourists while others are pilgrims.

Nepal said the largest numbers of missing foreign nationals across the border are from India (178), the United States (65), Ukraine (53), Malaysia (51), Australia (35), the United Kingdom (33) and Canada (25). Many of the foreign nationals missing in Nepal had been travelling for trekking or religious pilgrimages.

Meanwhile, China said emergency rescue personnel had reached the Gyirong Border Port, the main disaster zone along the China-Nepal border. Bad weather and blocked roads delayed their arrival by around 22 hours.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday that roads beginning about 2.5 kilometres from the port were covered by a layer of mud and debris estimated to be around 1.5 metres thick. At around 8 a.m., the first group of 141 rescuers reached Gyirong Port. An MI-171 helicopter capable of operating at high altitude has also arrived at the disaster site.

As an important transportation hub between China and Nepal, the port has become the main centre for ongoing rescue operations. China has reported that more than 550 people are missing in Gyirong County.

A government official in Gyirong County said telecommunications networks around the port remain down. Officials have so far been unable to establish contact with senior county authorities or rescue teams that travelled to the disaster site on Wednesday. According to Chinese state media, hundreds of rescuers have been dispatched to the area.

The danger has not subsided in flood-hit Gyirong County, where landslides, mudslides and flash floods remain a serious threat. Rain is expected over the next three days, while unstable natural dams continue to form across the region.

Fresh drone footage broadcast by state media showed a large lake forming at a landslide site. The newly formed lake, located near Gyirong Port but on the Nepalese side of the border, appeared to be expanding.

According to the broadcaster, the lake currently holds an estimated two million cubic metres of water and has begun to overflow. Another three million cubic metres of water is expected to enter the lake over the next three days, raising fears of a potentially dangerous breach.

Poor weather is hampering rescue operations. Chen Xi of the Chinese military’s local command said on Wednesday evening that the mountain slopes could collapse at any time. The road runs along steep rocky cliffs, with the threat of another mudslide continuing to loom over the area.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered authorities to make every possible effort to locate missing people and carry out rescue operations.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar