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In another development, Nepal has denied refusing assistance from friendly countries and the international community, saying it wants to “prioritise” maximum deployment of its own security forces, which are familiar with local environmental conditions and rugged terrain.

Speaking to the National News Agency (RSS), Nepal foreign minister Shisir Khanal said that “International assistance was not rejected but that the rescue strategy was decided based on national capacity, immediate need and Nepal’s unique geographical situation.”

Meanwhile, India on Friday sent a third tranche of 10 tonnes of relief supplies to Nepal, along with an 11-member team of doctors and paramedics and a reconnaissance crew to assess tunnel rescue operations.

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that a team for tunnel rescue operations has been sent to Nepal as nearly a hundred people are stranded in a hydropower tunnel.

“Right now, our effort is on supporting Nepal in the relief and rescue of people. Even today I spoke in the morning to the Nepal foreign minister. We have given them a range of support offers and they are evaluating it,” he said.

“Right now, the main thing is that in one place where there is a hydroelectric project, there could be possibility of people who may be in a tunnel. So, we are sending a team to help with the experts,” he said.

“If they require NDRF people to go, we will send them. We have given them that option,” the minister told reporters.

Meanwhile, China sounded a Level-IV alert late on Thursday, saying a large barrier lake had formed near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers in Nepal. China’s emergency response system for natural disasters has four levels, with Level-I being the highest and Level IV the lowest.

In Tibet, China was forced to suspend its rescue operation at the hardest-hit area of Gyirong over the risk of renewed flooding on Friday, before saying the threat had eased.

Rescue operations were therefore “proceeding in an orderly manner”, it added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who chaired a meeting on rescue efforts, offered Beijing’s help to Nepal’s emergency operations.

Chinese authorities had informed Nepal that around 2 million cubic metres of water had accumulated in the lake, with another 3 million cubic metres potentially entering it over three days, raising concerns about a possible breach.

The lake had formed near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers, which originate in Tibet and flow into Nepal as part of the Bhotekoshi river system.