China suspends Himalaya flood rescue efforts as lake overflows

{"text":[[{"start":9.84,"text":"China has suspended rescue efforts at the scene of a catastrophic mudslide on the Tibet-Nepal border after a lake formed by the disaster began overflowing, threatening to send a new torrent of debris downstream."}],[{"start":23.7,"text":"The suspension, announced on Friday, is a blow to rescue efforts at the Gyirong border crossing and downstream in Nepal as workers race against time to rescue survivors."}],[{"start":34.36,"text":"Chinese and Nepali authorities have said that up to 474 people have been killed and more than 1,500 are still missing after a giant flash flood on Wednesday tore through settlements in the border area, wiping out multistorey buildings in its path."}],[{"start":49.12,"text":"A lake was formed by the landslide about 10km upstream and 1,000 metres above the Gyirong Port crossing, according to a Chinese state television CCTV report near the scene."}],[{"start":60.12,"text":"“Such a massive barrier lake continuously overflowing directly above the port poses an extreme danger, with a high risk that it could trigger new flash floods or mudslides,” the report said. “On-site rescue efforts had to be suspended pending further orders.”"}],[{"start":75.84,"text":"Nepal’s police force issued an alert on Friday that a water dam on the Tibetan side of the border had “burst”, and advised “all security personnel, rescue workers involved in rescue and relief operations and the general public” to remain on alert and move to safe locations."}],[{"start":91.56,"text":"A spokesperson for Nepal’s military said rescue operations were ongoing, but the country’s national disaster agency called for people along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers to “exercise high caution” due to the “risk of further flooding”."}],[{"start":105.08,"text":"The size and violence of the mudslide, which was sparked by a glacial avalanche, has prompted an unusually strong public response from China’s top leadership."}],[{"start":113.74,"text":"China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday held a moment of silence for the victims before presiding over a meeting of the Communist Party’s top leadership body, the Politburo, to consider emergency rescue work for the disaster."}],[{"start":125.58,"text":"He also dispatched second-ranked leader Li Qiang to lead rescue efforts. State media highlighted that Li went at the president’s behest, a rare public gesture intended to show Xi’s grave concern, analysts said."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":138.44,"text":"At the centre of the Nepali rescue effort in Bidur, near the Trishuli River and north of the capital Kathmandu, helicopters rushed victims and survivors from the worst-affected areas upstream."}],[{"start":149,"text":"“We are in a race to save lives, that’s our focus now,” Nepal’s interior minister Sudhan Gurung told the FT while visiting the area on Friday."}],[{"start":159.6,"text":"The office of Nepal’s prime minister reported that soldiers had rescued two workers trapped in a hydropower plant tunnel and were looking for more."}],[{"start":168.04,"text":"“Even in the difficult conditions of the tunnel, the military is continuing the search,” it said."}],[{"start":173.68,"text":"China’s state news agency said that as of Thursday evening, nearly 500 villagers and 555 tourists had been evacuated from the disaster area. By Friday morning, emergency road repair operations had reached within 2.8km of the Gyirong Port, it said."}],[{"start":191.2,"text":"Chinese firefighters and rescue workers were entering the area by rubber boat and on foot and were conducting supply drops by drone."}],[{"start":198.68,"text":"Chinese state television said the barrier lake formed by the disaster was still expanding in size and was now estimated to contain as much as 2.5mn cubic metres of water, or enough to fill 1,000 Olympic swimming pools."}],[{"start":217.24,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1787907229_4044.mp3"}