Hidden risks persist at barrier lake in Xizang after deadly mudslide

Major hidden risks remain around a barrier lake in Gyirong county, Xizang autonomous region, that formed as a result of a deadly mudslide originating in Nepal, according to China's Ministry of Water Resources.

Downstream riverbanks remain at risk of collapse, which could create new barrier lakes, while glaciers around a nearby scour pit in a Nepalese river that drains into China also face potential collapse, the ministry said in a media release late on Monday.

Latest monitoring shows that the water surface of the scour pit in Nepal's Chhochen Khola River — which converges with the Purepu Tsangpo River in China — has continued to shrink, it said.

As of 5:14 am on Monday, its water surface spanned 83,000 square meters — a decrease of 25,000 square meters from 11 am Sunday and 14,000 square meters from 7 pm Sunday.

"Glaciers around the scour pit still face the risk of collapse, posing major hidden dangers," the ministry noted.

It said drone footage on Monday morning showed multiple landslide bodies of varying sizes along both banks within 3 kilometers downstream of the barrier lake.

The affected areas in the river are still in a state of channelized flow, but there is a risk that they could collapse and form a new barrier lake, the ministry said.