Another '50,000 Tons' Cascades Down... Four Days Later Marks the 'Biggest Hurdle'

[Anchor]

There was a reason water cascaded down from the high-altitude Himalayan region today (the 28th). Another glacier collapsed, accompanied by an avalanche. With rain continuing to fall, forecasts even warn of a large-scale collapse risk in four days.

Here is Beijing Correspondent Choi Go-un.

[Reporter]

This footage was captured this morning by a Chinese Air Force unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicle.

A massive ice wall and snow pile slide down together from the steep mountain.

The amount reaches an estimated 50,000 tons.

The place where this ice mass fell was a barrier lake formed three days prior as earth, rocks, and debris accumulated following the collapse of a glacier and bedrock.

This lake is located about 10 kilometers northeast of the China-Nepal border checkpoint, which has vanished without a trace.

As a result of rescue team experts calculating the size of the barrier lake using satellite images and drones, its length reached about 150 meters, and the height of the natural dam blocking the water reached 40 to 50 meters.

The water volume has already hit 2.5 million tons.

[Chinese State-run CCTV Reporter: The water volume of the barrier lake has exceeded 2 million tons. This means that an amount of water equivalent to two Seohos is hanging overhead at an altitude of 2,950 meters, which is 1,000 meters higher than Jilong Port.]

However, as rain continues to fall, water is continuously flowing in.

On top of this, additional glacier collapses and avalanches were added today.

[China Meteorological Administration: Locally heavy rain is expected in the Jilong border checkpoint and surrounding areas until the 30th. There is a possibility of triggering secondary disasters such as landslides or dam collapses.]

As soil and bedrock have become unstable due to the aftermath of the massive landslide and ongoing rain, multiple secondary collapses were observed from the upper section.

[Rescue Worker: We cleared paths blocked by landslides and planned rescue operations, but they are currently suspended due to the possibility of an additional collapse of the barrier lake.]

Chinese authorities forecast that the risk of a large-scale collapse will peak around the 1st of next month, four days from now.

To prevent a collapse by gradually draining the water from the barrier lake created by the landslide, drainage channels must be dug in the lower section. However, because it is a steep terrain area, heavy equipment such as excavators has difficulty accessing the site, raising growing concerns over damages.

(Video by Kim Byung-jik | Design by Park Taeyoung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.