Nepal flood horror: China's 72-hour warning leaves battered Nepal on edge

Tonight we are taking a closer look at the aftermath of that massive tragedy that struck Nepal. What are things looking like on the ground? The scenes coming in have been heart-wrenching and terrifying to say the least. And people around the world are praying for those who have been impacted. This is not a story limited to Nepal. It's a global tragedy at this point, with people of multiple nationalities impacted. And what's worse, there could be more danger ahead, with Chinese state media warning of a potentially dangerous new flood threat. According to China's Ministry of Water Resources, a significant barrier lake has formed near the confluence of two rivers in Nepal. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reporting that the lake contained an estimated 2 million cubic meters of water and is already overflowing. The ministry warns that another 3 million cubic meters could enter that lake over the next three days, creating a high risk of a breach. So that warning puts the next 72 hours, in fact, under intense scrutiny. The next 72 hours are crucial for Nepal as a result. Chinese authorities saying they are closely monitoring the situation, conducting flood simulations and analyzing possible breach scenarios as they prepare emergency response measures as well. And this warning coming after the devastating mudslide originating on the Nepalese side of that border struck. But the disaster remains far from over, it seems. Chinese authorities have warned that difficult terrain continued to be a challenge. Rainfall, possibility of secondary disasters complicating the rescue efforts as well. So can that barrier lake withstand the additional water expected over the next three days is the immediate question hanging in the air. And a lot depends on that for Nepal. If it breaches, downstream areas could face a sudden and potentially devastating surge for communities already battered by the disaster. The coming 72 hours could be crucial. In fact, the devastating flash floods in the country have struck one of the most important pilgrimage corridors in the Himalayas, the Kailash-Mansarovar route through Nepal. Among the groups affected by the floods are hundreds of Indians. As per the latest updates, the floods have left nearly 390 people dead in Nepal, over 800 missing, 290 Indians as per the latest are uncontactable. India has been rushing relief material. The floods have blocked highways connecting various neighboring towns to the country's capital. Rescue and relief operations by the government authorities have been underway to find the areas. It's a race against time. And survivors in a Nepalese village recall the horrors that they witnessed as a result of the devastating floods as the water rushed through the settlements, carrying mud and debris and leaving behind a trail of destruction. Listen to this. It came in suddenly and exploded like a bomb. The river looked small from distance, but it suddenly started overflowing and swept through this place. We are facing a lot of challenges and the biggest one being blocked roads. As of now, we are not able to tell how many people are still stuck or buried under the debris as there is no way to reach the spot. For those from around the world watching these developments, listening into these voices, it's horrifying to even watch what's playing out. Imagine the pain, the suffering that the people on the ground are going through. What the families of the loved ones who are missing are going through. The relatives of those missing in the floods were seen packing outside a Kathmandu hospital, for example, desperate for any updates about their loved ones. My son is stuck in the floods. He is a truck driver and he said he was driving and we last spoke at around 8.30. After that, there is no news of him. We are not able to Just to better understand the scale of what unfolded and what happened on the ground, let's also get you a bird's eye view at this point. In fact, satellite imagery has been giving us a better sense of what things look like and showing what appeared to be collapsed glaciers that experts said may have triggered the deadly Nepal floods and what's been witnessed on the are the images that in a way also give you a sense of the situation and the way things unfolded. Let's now get you this drone footage coming in from Nepal's district, showing the extensive destruction that's been left behind by the floods, the mudslide. This is just a sample of the kind of destruction that Nepal has witnessed as the flash floods ripped through the country. We've been playing out for you the voices of some of those people who have been impacted. Remember, these are settlements that in just a short span of time saw this massive destruction playing out. This is just a part of the many such images that have been trickling in through the day. Remember, some of the country's most critical infrastructure impacted the government's preliminary estimate, also putting the infrastructure damage at more than 200 billion rupees. That's about 1.3 billion dollars. So houses are collapsed, you know, washed away totally and roads are damaged, totally washed away. And like all immigration building and so border foundation, like in the custom building, all those building, even hotels, so many hotels were there over there. And even hydro project during the several hydro project were there. They were totally washed out, totally damaged. In fact, at least 80 bridges, 35 concrete and 45 suspension bridges have been swept away just to give you a sense of some of that destruction. While the immediate focus also remains on the rescue and recovery efforts, of course, the scale of that destruction pointing to a much longer and costlier rebuilding effort for the country. The flood has struck two of Nepal's most important economic lifelines after all trade and energy. The energy sector has suffered a major blow as well. For a country that relies heavily on hydropower, the damage could have consequences well beyond just the flood hit areas. So have a look at these images that we are playing out for you. This is what things look like in just a span of that short few seconds, which remember on the ground at that point, nobody really knows what's impacting them, what's hitting them in that moment and just complete destruction following that entire area wiped out. You can see those people running there in a state of absolute panic because in that moment, in that moment of destruction, you don't know what's happening. In fact, the destruction that we've been seeing of the roads, the border infrastructure could also disrupt trade, tourism, construction, supply chains across the country. For Nepal, the challenge now is twofold, if not more. Rescue those still missing, restore basic connectivity. This is just a sample of that extensive destruction that these flash floods have left behind. Rebuilding the country's damaged infrastructure is just one part of the story, which, of course, will take far longer, cost far more than what the initial estimate is pointing towards. Right now, it's a race against time to locate those who are missing, save those lives. At this point, it's also important for the people to stay alert, follow official warnings and watch out for verified emergency updates.