Another '50,000 Tons' Cascades Down… Four Days Later Marked as 'Critical Turning Point'

[Anchor]

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

Our Beijing correspondent, Choi Go-un, has the report.

[Reporter]

This footage was captured this morning by a reconnaissance drone of the Chinese Air Force.

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

The volume reaches an estimated 50,000 tons.

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

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

As a rescue team of experts calculated the size of the barrier lake using satellite imagery and drones, its length was found to be 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. Located at an altitude of 2,950 meters, which is 1,000 meters higher than Jilong Port, it is equivalent to having the volume of two Seoho lakes suspended overhead.]

However, with rain continuing to fall, water is steadily flowing in.

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

[China Meteorological Administration: Heavy localized rain is expected around the Jilong border checkpoint and surrounding areas until the 30th. This has the potential to trigger 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 have been observed from the upper sections.

[Rescue Worker: We planned rescue operations after clearing roads blocked by landslides, but operations have been 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 reach its 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, a drainage channel needs to be dug at the lowest point. However, because it is a steep slope area, heavy equipment such as excavators struggle to approach, amplifying concerns over potential damage.

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