Barrier lake from deadly Gyirong mudslide fully drained

A barrier lake that formed in Gyirong county, Xizang autonomous region, as a result of a deadly mudslide originating in Nepal has fully drained through natural outflow, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

The barrier lake formed near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola River in Nepal and Purepu Tsangpo River in China, with its water volume estimated at 2 million cubic meters as of Thursday morning, when it was already overflowing, the ministry said in an earlier media release.

Based on the latest update from a hydrological emergency monitoring team dispatched by the ministry, the barrier lake is now discharging under normal natural conditions, and the impounded water has been essentially emptied, China Central Television reported on Saturday.

Sixteen people were killed and 546 others remained missing as of 6 pm on Saturday, after the mudslide struck Gyirong Port along the China-Nepal border on Wednesday, according to Xizang's emergency management department. Among the missing, 261 have been identified as foreign nationals.