NUWAKOT (REUTERS)
Nepal and China resumed rescue operations that had been suspended briefly in the flood-hit Himalayas on Friday after risks from an overflowing lake were found to be manageable, easing fears of fresh devastation.
A glacier collapse on Wednesday unleashed a huge torrent of rock, ice, mud and debris through Himalayan mountain river systems, killing at least 579 people in Nepal and five in China's Tibet.
The number missing in Nepal has nearly doubled to 1,924, the country's disaster authority said on Friday. At least 558 were missing in Tibet's Gyirong County, including 260 foreign nationals, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said on Thursday.
More than 90,000 people are estimated to have been affected by the disaster, the Red Cross said.
The flooding led to the formation of a lake, which on Friday began overflowing into the Lhende Khola and Trishuli rivers.
The overflow sparked panic and warnings from authorities in Nepal, leading to rescue operations being suspended for about three hours. The risk prompted all Chinese rescue personnel and vehicles to withdraw as well, CCTV said.
Both resumed rescue operations after the threat eased, with Nepali officials saying that they were still hopeful of finding survivors.
Nepal is continuing to monitor two barrier lakes upstream of the flood zone, with an official warning that flood risks will persist until both lakes fully drain. Satellite imagery showed the second lake growing larger with no visible outlet, raising concerns that water pressure could still be building.
China's state-run Xinhua news agency said that the first barrier lake was reducing in size, citing analysis by the water resources ministry. A Chinese government geohazards expert warned, however, that the lake may be unstable and that over 100 glacial lakes scattered throughout the area could pose a threat.
Wednesday's flood ripped through villages and valleys, destroying power stations, roads and bridges along a route that links Kathmandu with Lhasa in Tibet and is popular with trekkers and pilgrims. Of those missing, at least 540 are foreigners, many of them Hindu pilgrims from India headed to the holy Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet.
In Beijing, a Politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping called for stronger monitoring of glacier lakes and landslide risks, and for closer international disaster cooperation, Xinhua reported.
China's Premier Li Qiang, the country's No. 2 official, arrived in the disaster-stricken area of Gyirong on Thursday afternoon, Xinhua said. The visit suggested Beijing was treating the disaster as a matter of the highest national priority.
Dramatic footage on Wednesday showed torrents of water and debris tearing through the border crossing, engulfing people trying to flee.
Earlier, Nepalese rescue teams used helicopters to search for survivors and drop emergency supplies to thousands cut off in towns and valleys, while emergency services recovered dozens of bodies swept down into the plains.