‘Barrier lake’ flood risk adds new danger to desperate rescue efforts following China-Nepal disaster | CNN

Perilous rescue efforts along the China-Nepal border are being complicated by the risk of new flooding or landslides, with authorities in China and Nepal briefly pausing rescue operations Friday due to those fears.

Perilous rescue efforts along the China-Nepal border are being complicated by the risk of new flooding or landslides, with authorities in China and Nepal briefly pausing rescue operations Friday due to those fears.

A barrier lake – holding enough water to fill an estimated 1,000 Olympic swimming pools – began overflowing on the China-Nepal border, where it formed after a powerful landslide and torrential flooding devastated the area on Wednesday. A barrier lake is a body of water created by debris damming up a river.

Helicopter rescue operations in Nepal’s flood-hit Rasuwa district were stopped and locals were seen rushing up a hill after reports that the lake had begun to overflow, the Reuters news agency reported, citing a witness.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported late Friday morning the newly formed lake had begun overflowing, posing a risk of flash floods or landslides and prompting teams to pause efforts to reach the hard-hit Gyirong land port.

Both teams resumed rescue operations later in the day after risk levels returned to what CCTV described as “manageable.”