Rescue operations continued Friday through thick layers of mud and debris in flood-hit Nepal as authorities remained on high alert over a newly formed lake near the Nepal-China border, raising fears of another flash flood in the region. The warning came two days after devastating floods swept through the Himalayan border region, killing more than 500 people and leaving over 1,500 missing.

Nepal's disaster management authorities said satellite imagery and preliminary assessments indicated that a river had been blocked upstream, creating a growing lake that could burst and send a sudden surge of water downstream. Satellite imagery shown by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV indicated that the lake had formed in the same area where a glacial detachment occurred.