Barrier lake forms following landslide in Sichuan-Tibet border area

A barrier lake has formed after a landslide struck a section of the Jinsha River in the border area of Sichuan Province and Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China.

The landslide struck at about 7:10 a.m. Thursday in Bolo Township, under Jomda County of Tibet's Qamdo, though no casualties have been reported.

A barrier lake is formed after a landslide struck a section of the Jinsha River in the border area of Sichuan Province and Tibet Autonomous Region on October 11, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, the amount of water in the barrier lake had reached about 100 million cubic meters, according to Sichuan flood control and drought relief headquarters. Over 10,000 Qamdo residents have been evacuated so far.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has initiated an emergency response.

According to Qamdo authorities, the scale of the landslide is vast, clogging the main waterway of the Jinsha River, with several bridges, fields and villages affected.

Bolo is in southern Jomda, and is separated from Sichuan's Baiyu County by the Jinsha River. It has an average altitude of 2,860 meters and is home to 8,325 residents in eight villages.