Nepal's Rasuwa district which has been badly affected by flooding is "physically totally disconnected", according to the country's information minister Bikram Timilsina.

"We have not been able to get there, it will take time for us to assess the scale of the damage," he tells the BBC, with the area located just north of the capital Kathmandu.

"Only by helicopter have we been able to rescue people," he adds.

Dimesh Tamang tells the BBC that 300 people in his hometown in Nepal have been rescued from tunnels following devastating flooding.

He is in the capital Kathmandu and says all he can do is give as much information as possible to rescuers to help find people who are stranded.

"I'm just listing the missing people from my own village," he tells BBC Radio 5 Live, adding there are ongoing efforts to find out exactly how many people are missing.

Tamang's family, who are still in his village close to the floods, have survived but "there's no phone, no electricity, and no road access there", he says.

"That's why I'm trying to use my expertise," he adds, including "which is a suitable place to land and which is a suitable place for after [the] rescue, because there are many people stranded there".

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The situation in Nepal is "chaos", according to Dhruba Gurmachhan of humanitarian aid charity World Vision.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live from Nepal, Gurmachhan says those affected are "desperately waiting" for support.

"Their houses have been swept away... everything gone. It is a very heartbreaking, critical situation here," he says.

However Gurmachhan says he believes "there is hope" that those still missing "could be found alive", as network connectivity issues are preventing communication.

"The government is tirelessly working for finding those lives... and many agencies are working to provide assistance,” he adds.

Image source, Reuters

Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired an emergency meeting with officials to coordinate rescue efforts following Nepal's deadly floods, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Reports say that officials decided search and rescue efforts must be "scientifically formulated to spare no effort in locating missing persons from both China and abroad".

Xinhua adds the meeting heard that aid "must be provided" to affected areas in Nepal and that "international rescue co-operation must be carried out", with the publication reporting China will "provide emergency aid to the disaster-hit area in Nepal".

China has warned there is a "high risk" that a lake which formed after the recent landslide may breach its banks, causing a second flood downstream.

As of Friday, an estimated 2.5 million cubic metres of water had accumulated at the barrier lake near the Nepal-Tibet border, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

A barrier lake is a body of water formed when debris dams up a river. This barrier lake, which formed at the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers, had started to overflow on Thursday, according to China's Ministry of Water Resources.

Officials say that three million cubic metres of water is expected to flow into the lake between Thursday and the weekend, posing a "high risk of breach".

• You can read more on the barrier lake in our story

Five people have died in Tibet as a result of the flooding on Wednesday, according to Chinese state media.

Reports say 558 people are currently missing in the region.

Nepali police say 489 people have been killed in the flooding that struck the country on Wednesday.

They add bodies have been recovered from the worst-hit districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot, with the majority located in the Chitwan district - which is where the Trishuli river runs its course and flows into the Seti Gandaki river.

Image source, VCG via Getty Images

We're monitoring developments on the Nepal-Tibet border this morning, as concerns remain that a barrier lake which formed after Wednesday's landslide could trigger further floods.

As we wait to hear more, here's a quick recap of the latest updates from the region:

• Rescue operations in Tibet were temporarily suspended as Chinese state media reported that an "overflow has occurred" at the barrier lake - they have since said that overflow has stopped and rescue efforts have resumed

• Chinese state media has also reported that CCTV is being installed to better monitor the state of the lake in the coming hours
• The death toll in Nepal has now reached 475, local police have said, with more than 900 missing
• Officials have issued a list of 537 foreign nationals whose whereabouts remain unknown following the flooding. Among them are 178 Indian nationals, 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians, 33 Australians and 33 Britons
• Nepal's army says 900 people have been rescued from the worst-hit areas - among them are 119 tourists
• Rescue operations have been hindered by rain and unpredictable weather, an army spokesperson has said before adding: "I haven't seen this kind of disaster in my life"

• In Tibet, three people have been killed and 558 are still missing. Chinese authorities say 555 tourists have been evacuated so far today. It is unclear whether the latest figures overlap

Image source, Reuters

The Nepali government has released the names of hundreds of tourists still missing following flooding that is confirmed to have killed almost 500 people.

It lists the names, dates of birth and nationalities of 537 foreign nationals that have been out of contact since the floods hit on Wednesday.

Included on the list are 178 Indian nationals, 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians, 33 Australians and 33 from the United Kingdom.

Chinese state media CCTV says rescue operations on the Tibet side are now "continuing as normal" after water levels of the barrier lake "dropped slightly".

In the last few minutes, Chinese state media has issued a fresh update on the state of the barrier lake.

The overflow of water has now stopped, with rescue workers preparing to resume rescue operations.

Chinese officials had halted rescue efforts a little under three hours ago due to concerns of new flooding.

Chinese state media has confirmed that "overflow has occurred today" from a barrier lake that formed following the landslide on Wednesday.

The lake is full, the state broadcaster has been reporting, and water has been trickling out – prompting officials to suspend rescue operations in the area while monitoring continues.

News agency Xinhua also reports CCTV is being installed around the lake to better assess the situation in the coming hours.

Earlier, we reported Nepali police issued a warning stating that a water dam had "breached on the Tibetan side".

Azadeh Moshiri
South Asia correspondent in Trishuli

Warnings are circulating of more flooding to come in northern Nepal, with emergency workers evacuating people to higher ground.

We've just reached an area above the Trishuli river, where people have gathered for safety, waiting for the danger to pass. The manager of the hotel we were staying at is here with us, after the army turned up and told him to evacuate.

In the meantime, helicopters are landing every few minutes at army barracks in Trishuli. They're dropping off survivors, some of whom are injured.

Outside the gates are dozens of people desperately waiting for news of their loved ones, or hoping to see a familiar face arrive.

Groups are also crowding around a few sheets of paper hanging on a wall, listing the names of people who've been found.

Image source, CCTV

In the last hour, CCTV has released the coordinates for the barrier lake that formed after Wednesday's landslide.

The Chinese national broadcaster reports the lake is located approximately 10km (six miles) from Gyirong port and holds over two million cubic metres of water.

Rescue operations in Tibet have been suspended this morning due to concerns the lake could burst, triggering further flooding.

Nepal police have issued an alert stating that a water dam has been "breached on the Tibetan side".

It urges locals, rescuers and security forces to remain alert and move to a safe location.

Andrew Clarance
Reporting from Trishuli

Nepal's army says it has rescued 900 people from the worst-hit areas, including the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. Among them are 119 foreign nationals, including 92 Indians.

As we've been reporting, Indian nationals form the largest group of foreign visitors affected by the devastating flash floods.

Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet, a spokesman for the army, has been speaking to us at a helicopter landing field outside an army barracks.

All of the 900 people are injured and receiving treatment in hospital, he says, without elaborating on their condition.

Rain and unpredictable weather has made rescue operations increasingly challenging, he acknowledged. "But we're trying to... intensify the rescue operations, in close coordination with all stakeholders," Basnet said.

Asked about the scale of the tragedy, he said: "I haven't seen this kind of disaster in my life."

Nepal Police say that as of 09:00 local time (04:15 BST) on Friday, 475 people have died due to Wednesday's floods in the Resuwa district.

The force adds that rescue and search operations are continuing as are efforts to "remove roadblocks" from affected areas.

Nikita Yadav
BBC News, Delhi

Naresh Goyal struggles to hold back his emotions as he speaks about his sister, Neetu Goyal Tiwari, 51, who has been missing since deadly floods struck Nepal on Wednesday.

Tiwari, a British citizen, travelled to Delhi from London before heading to Kathmandu on 14 August with a group from the spiritual organisation Isha Foundation.

The last update her family received was that she was at the immigration office in Gyirong.

"It was her dream to go on the yatra. She was happy and excited," Goyal told the BBC, referring to a type of pilgrimage.

Tiwari was expected to return to India on Thursday and meet her brother and parents. Instead, the family is now desperately searching for answers.

"We have called every helpline given by the Indian government and reached out to the British Embassy in Kathmandu as well," Goyal says.

"Please help us find her," he says, his voice breaking. "We are all very scared."

Image source, Naresh Goyal

Azadeh Moshiri
Reporting from Trishuli, Nepal

Image source, Reuters

There was so much hope, so much joy, the last time I was here in Nepal during seismic elections in March.

Gen-Z Nepalis who’d overthrown their previous government after historic protests, had helped elect the new Prime Minister Balen Shah.

At 35, he became Nepal’s leader with only three years of political experience, as mayor of Kathmandu.The fact he was a newcomer was seen as a strength by his voters, frustrated by what they say as decades of failings under Nepal’s old guard.

Now, Balen Shah has been in office a little over six months, and this is the biggest challenge for him yet.

The families we meet are counting on him and emergency workers to lead the search for their loved ones, in the worst disaster the country has seen in more than a decade.