Rescue resumes at China-Nepal border as dammed lake starts to overflow

Napalese police say the country's death toll from the devastating mudslide by a flash flood along the Himalayan border is now standing at 547, while China has reported five deaths.

Warning residents to stay away from swollen rivers, authorities have resumed rescue operations on the China side as the dammed lake risk was deemed "manageable." Authorities have issued a fresh alert on Friday of a dammed lake newly formed by the landslide that began to overflow, prompting concerns of further flooding.

State broadcaster CCTV reported the lake that held about 2 million cubic metres of water was at an elevation of 2,950 metres, roughly 1,000 metres above the Gyirong Port, which has been swamped by mud and floodwater.

All Chinese rescue personnel and vehicles were urged to withdraw in order to stand by in a safe zone, but the operations later resumed. Downstream in Nepal's Rasuwa district on the border with Xizang, villagers were seen running uphills to escape the surges.

Local officials received warning that the glacier lake had broken its bank and temporarily halted rescue operations, but now they were continuing with high alert.

Footage captures a trail of destructions in Nuwakot district two days after the debris torrent levelled towns through the Trishuli River valley and damaged hydropower projects. Bereaved relatives described losing their family members and entire communities to the catastrophe, with resident Dawa Lama saying his lineage are all dead.

Meanwhile, crews are racing to locate over 1,500 people still unaccounted for, including 540 foreign nationals in the area to work, trek or make a pilgrimage.

The foreign ministry in Beijing has said nearly 100 Chinese citizens were missing on the Nepal side.

China, India, the US, Britain, Japan and South Korea had reportedly asked Nepal to allow their search teams to assist, whereas Nepal's foreign ministry declares the country doesn't need foreign help. A spokesman says its own security agencies are managing the rescue efforts and that they don't require such assistance for now.