Dam bursts in disaster-stricken Tibet

 

TT-AP

Published 03.43Updated 08.18

         

        A policeman with a dog looks at the destruction in Nepal. Photo: Niranjan Shrestha/AP/TT

A dam has burst in Tibet and police are urging rescue workers to seek safety.

Earlier, there were reports that a lake of debris and mud created by a mudslide in the Himalayas is at risk of overflowing due to new rainfall. China has now stopped rescue efforts in the area.

More than 1,000 people have now been evacuated after the landslide that hit the border area between Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, Chinese state media reported. Around 470 people have died, thousands are still missing and infrastructure, water pipes and villages have been destroyed.

Lake of Debris Could Overflow

Now, new rains are expected in the area in Tibet where the glacier that triggered the disaster broke loose and formed a lake of debris and mud. The lake of mud is now at risk of overflowing – with devastating consequences.

It is unclear which dam was reported to have burst on Friday.

“According to forecasts, the inflow to the lake could reach around three million cubic meters in the next three days during continued rain, which increases the risk of it bursting. This would mean that water would flow downstream and possibly cause further damage,” reports the state news agency New China (Xinhua).

The rescue teams working in the area have therefore been pulled back one kilometer and are now on standby.

100 stuck in tunnel

At the same time, rescue operations are underway elsewhere in the disaster area. A few kilometers south, the military is trying to rescue around 100 people who are stuck in a tunnel at a hydroelectric power station. 350 people have already been rescued from the area.

“Two helicopters have been sent out but it is challenging because it is difficult to even locate the entrances to the tunnel. Efforts are also underway to provide those rescued with what they need,” said Raja Ram Basnet, the military spokesman.

Dev Shrestha, who was rescued by helicopter at another dam work along the flooded Trishuli River valley, tells the story of the disaster.

“There were at least 400 workers at the site. More people died than were rescued,” he said.