Earthquake jolts Nepal day after deadly floods

According to the National Center for Seismology, an earthquake measuring a magnitude 3.2 on the Richter scale rocked parts of Nepal on Thursday evening. The temblor struck at a depth of 10 km, with its epicentre located 24 km west northwest of Yuksom in Sikkim, it said.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) measured the quake at a magnitude 5.0, saying it struck northern Tibet on late Thursday, Reuters reported.

The earthquake comes a day after deadly flash floods in the Bhote Koshi River devastated areas along the Nepal-China border, leaving at least 395 people dead and more than 1,000 missing, as well as causing widespread destruction in the region.

China warns of another devastating flood

Following Wednesday's Nepal floods, China's Ministry of Water Resources, has warned that a large barrier lake formed near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers in Nepal, stands at the brink of breaching within the next 72 hours.

According to Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), Chinese authorities have informed that the lake had an estimated water volume of 2 million cubic meters as of Thursday morning, and may receive an additional 3 million cubic meters over the next three days, putting the natural dam at high risk of breaching.

Chinese authorities are closely monitoring the water levels and conducting flood simulations to assess the potential consequences of a breach and to aid emergency rescue operations, the Global Times reported.

The DHM has warned that the risk of another major flood remains in the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river areas, and urged people to stay away from the rivers and remain in safe places until further notice.

A Chinese rescue team with communications and detection equipment has reached Gyirong to assess the upstream blockage, which officials fear could cause a secondary disaster and complicate ongoing rescue work, reports said.