International
oi-Prakash KL
Nepal has come under a fresh flood alert after a dam upstream in Tibet was reportedly breached on Friday.
A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck Longchang City in China’s Sichuan Province on Friday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre.
Nepal Police issued an alert based on received information regarding a dam burst in Tibet, requesting all security personnel, rescue workers, and the public to remain immediately alert and move to safe locations.
There were no immediate reports of major damage on the Chinese side. However, the tremor came as Nepal was already reeling from devastating floods that have killed more than 470 people.
Nepal Police issued an urgent warning on X, saying, “Information has been received that the water dam on the Tibetan side has burst again. Therefore, all security personnel, rescue workers involved in rescue and relief operations, and the general public are requested to remain immediately alert and move to safe locations or notify others.”
Authorities in the Trishuli area ordered another round of evacuations as they prepared for a possible rise in the river caused by water rushing downstream. The alert came just days after a flash flood devastated the region.
According to Nepal Police, Chitwan was the worst-hit district, with 178 bodies recovered. Another 110 bodies were recovered in eastern Nepal, while 44 were found in Gorkha, 37 in Nuwakot, 33 in Dhading, 28 in Tanahun, 27 in western Nepal and 12 in Rasuwa.
Rescue teams have so far evacuated 644 people from Rasuwa, 898 from Nuwakot and three from Dhading.
The earlier disaster struck on Tuesday morning when an ice-rock avalanche about 20 kilometres northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border point in Tibet triggered a massive debris flow into the Lhende River. Floodwaters then surged downstream through Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Chitwan, Tanahun and Nawalparasi, carrying mud and boulders that swept away settlements and damaged infrastructure along the riverbanks.
The floods also left hundreds of Indian nationals stranded or out of contact. As of Thursday night, 290 Indians in Nepal remained uncontactable, while 84 had been rescued. Those rescued included 63 workers from the Trishuli-I hydropower project and 21 people from Tamil Nadu.
Initial reports suggested that an earthquake had triggered the avalanche and subsequent flooding. However, the US Geological Survey later clarified that the seismic signals detected during the event were caused by the glacial collapse and the massive movement of debris, rather than a tectonic earthquake.
