Fresh fears of another flashflood disrupted rescue operations in Nepal’s flood-ravaged Rasuwa district on Friday, even as 320 Indian nationals still remained uncontactable in the aftermath of the devastating Bhote Koshi floods.There was information that a fresh barrier lake had formed at the origin of the ice-rock avalanche that triggered the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli floods. Satellite imagery indicated that continued water accumulation in the lake could heighten the risk of another downstream outburst flood.The Nepal police issued an alert after receiving information from the Chinese side that another water body had breached in Tibet, raising concerns of a fresh downstream surge. The warning prompted a suspension of rescue operations for nearly three hours as security personnel, rescue workers and residents in affected areas were asked to remain vigilant and move to safer locations.However, Nepal and China later resumed rescue efforts after authorities assessed the threat posed by the overflowing lake as manageable.According to Nepalese media reports, Rasuwa Chief District Officer Narendra Pariyar confirmed that information about the latest “lake breach” had been received from the Chinese side.The fresh alert came barely two days after devastating flashfloods in the Rasuwa region left hundreds dead or missing and caused widespread destruction, heightening concerns over possible cross-border water surges from Tibet.Amid the continuing rescue and relief operations, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 320 Indian nationals remained uncontactable, adding that the situation was “dynamic” and that the lists of missing persons and the actual death toll among Indians were still being reconciled.“As far as the number of people we are unable to contact or who are missing is concerned, the figure at this point is 320,” Jaiswal said.He added that around 100 persons of Indian origin holding foreign nationalities also remained uncontactable. Some of them are believed to have travelled for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.Jaiswal said another 63 Indian nationals working at the Trishuli-I hydropower project were rescued on Thursday. In addition, 96 Indians stranded on the Chinese side had safely crossed into Nepal by land, and efforts were under way to evacuate them.Separately, about 400 Indian nationals on the Chinese side were reported safe, with the Indian Embassy in Beijing remaining in touch with their team leaders, travel agents and Chinese authorities to facilitate their evacuation.Meanwhile, 21 tourists from Tamil Nadu rescued from the disaster-hit region arrived in New Delhi on Friday.External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar welcomed the tourists on their arrival and heard their accounts of the ordeal. “I was deeply moved upon hearing their experiences firsthand,” Jaishankar said, thanking the Nepal government and the Nepalese Army for the rescue operation. He also commended the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu for coordinating their return.Jaishankar said he had reviewed the relief and rescue operations in Nepal and received updated assessments from the Indian missions in Kathmandu and Beijing. He added that additional relief supplies were being prepared for Nepal, with the safety of Indian nationals being accorded the “highest priority”.The Indian effort comes as Nepal grapples with the massive toll of the Bhote Koshi flashfloods. According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 538 bodies had been recovered till 3 pm on Friday, while 977 people remained missing and 3,742 had been rescued.