Xi chairs meeting to review rescue efforts following Nepal-Tibet flash floods

The meeting was to deliberate and make arrangements on rescue and relief efforts after the flash floods hit Gyirong County in the Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday.

At the beginning of the meeting, Xi and other leaders observed a moment of silence to mourn the victims of the disaster, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Officials at the meeting said that emergency rescue operations have been carried out swiftly and in a well-coordinated manner, with comprehensive efforts underway to resettle affected people.At the meeting, it was decided that search and rescue plans should be formulated scientifically, and all efforts should be made to search for and rescue all missing Chinese and foreign nationals, according to the report.

The death toll of the flash floods in Nepal has reached 469, while three people were killed in Tibet.

Over 550 people were reported missing in Tibet and 100 Chinese were yet to be traced in NepalMeanwhile, China has sounded a Level-IV alert following the flash floods, warning that a newly formed barrier lake at the confluence of two rivers faces a high risk of breaching and flooding downstream areas.

China’s Ministry of Water Resources on Thursday night sounded an emergency in Tibet, cautioning of a threat posed by the barrier lake, which formed near the confluence of Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers.

These rivers originate in Tibet and flow into Nepal as part of the Bhotekoshi river system.