Nepal’s barrier lake overflows as rescues pause after Himalayan glacier disaster

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 AUGUST 2026 —

A newly formed barrier lake in Nepal’s Rasuwa district overflowed on Friday, halting rescue operations two days after a Himalayan glacier collapse sent flash floods and mudslides through the area.

Scientists say two lakes have formed at the site. One sits high near the collapsed glacier, trapping meltwater. The other, a larger and more dangerous body, sits downstream where a landslide blocked the river. Both are unstable.

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority warned on Thursday that the lower lake could burst. Chinese authorities estimated the lake holds 1.5 to 2 million cubic metres of water, with another 3 million cubic metres expected to flow in over three days — roughly 1,200 Olympic-sized pools.

“It is a threat, because if a formed lake suddenly breaches it may cause another flood,” said Nitesh Khadka, a Nepali geographer specialising in glacial floods. Such a flood would pick up mud and rock, complicating search and rescue and endangering survivors in hydro tunnels.

Chinese authorities have sent an eight-member engineering team to conduct aerial surveys and 3D modelling of the lake. “After the glacier collapse created the lake, many isolated cliffs and steep slopes appeared along it,” said engineer Chen Hanxiao. Access is difficult; the lake sits near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers, upstream of Nepal’s Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers that flow toward Kathmandu.

The disaster began when a glacier collapsed on Wednesday, sending ice, rock and debris into river channels. The debris acted as a natural dam, trapping water and forming the unstable lake. “The lake on the Lehende is formed when a landslide blocked the flow and water got impounded,” Khadka said. “It’s a natural process and cannot be prevented.”

Rescue operations in Rasuwa were paused after the breach but later resumed. A World Health Organization official said six health facilities were damaged and eight workers are missing. Nepal’s foreign ministry said it does not need foreign assistance. “Our security agencies are doing the search and rescue operation,” spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri said. “For now we don’t require such help.”

This is not Nepal’s first encounter with glacial lake outburst floods. In July 2016, a glacier collapse in Tibet’s Aru Range released about 68 million cubic metres of ice, killing nine herders and hundreds of animals. Two months later, another glacier in the same range collapsed, releasing 83 million cubic metres. In May 2022, northern Pakistan’s Hunza Valley suffered a flood after an ice-dammed lake breached.

The current threat underscores the Himalayas’ growing instability as glaciers melt faster with climate change. Nepal’s disaster authority has warned that the barrier lake could burst, sending a second wave of debris-choked water downstream. For now, the focus is on monitoring the lake’s rise while rescue teams navigate rugged terrain where cliffs and steep slopes limit access.