China Suspends Tibet Rescue Operation as Flood Risk Rises

China has temporarily suspended an ongoing search and rescue operation in Tibet, its autonomous region as the risk of flooding increases near the China-Nepal border.

Government media reported that rescue teams were pulled back to safer areas, two days after a landslide left hundreds of people missing.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, water from a large lake formed after the landslide began spreading toward the area where rescue teams were operating.

Teams already deployed in the affected zone were ordered to halt operations and move about one kilometre back while awaiting further instructions.

The lake formed on Wednesday after mud and debris blocked water at Gyirong, a border hub in Tibet. Continued rainfall is expected to raise the lake’s water level over the next three days.

Xinhua reported that rising water levels could cause cracks in the lake and trigger flooding downstream, potentially causing further damage to areas including Gyirong Port.

As of Friday, 499 Chinese nationals and 555 foreign nationals had been evacuated from the disaster zone.

Rescuers have been using drones, 3D mapping, thermal imaging and manual searches to locate those still missing.

Emergency engineering teams are closely monitoring the lake.

Search and rescue operations are expected to resume once the flood risk subsides.