China-Nepal floods: debris lake the size of 1,000 Olympic pools in breach danger

The death toll from catastrophic flash floods and mudslides at the Gyirong Port border crossing between China and Nepal continued to rise on Friday, as concerns grew that a lake formed from the debris could breach, triggering further flooding.

As of Friday afternoon, five people were confirmed dead and 558 missing on the Chinese side of the border, with 469 dead and nearly 1,000 missing in Nepal.

A composite of satellite images showing the scale of the disaster at Gyirong Port. The image on the left was taken on Wednesday while the one on the right is the same location in January. Photo: Xinhua

The tragedy unfolded on Wednesday morning when a massive Himalayan landslide triggered a fast-moving debris flow that swept down from the border area, leaving widespread devastation in its wake.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, the torrent was travelling at up to 200km/h (124mph) and generated a wall of water as high as 15 metres (50 feet) when it slammed into the checkpoint.

Satellite images released on Thursday by state news agency Xinhua showed extensive mud and debris burying the checkpoint at Gyirong county in the city of Shigatse and its surrounding residential areas.

Timeline of the China-Nepal border disaster

The Nepal-China Friendship Bridge was washed away, while large deposits of silt altered the river channel and surrounding terrain, obscuring roads and parts of original structures.

South China Morning Post