An early flood warning system designed to save the lives of thousands of people in the Everest region may no longer be working, Nepalese officials have admitted to the BBC, after it was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair.

The disclosure came after villagers in the local Sherpa communities told the BBC no inspection of the UN-supported project had been carried out for many years after the dangerous Imja glacial lake was last drained in 2016.

Since then, no maintenance has been undertaken, which means siren towers have been left to rust, while some have even had their batteries stolen, according to locals.

“When the project was commissioned, we were told officials from the department of hydrology and meteorology will be visiting the region every year to inspect the system, but we see no one coming here,” said Jangbu Sherpa at Chhukung, which would be the first village hit if Lake Imja burst.

“So, we go to the DHM in Kathmandu every year to request them to repair and maintain the early warning system but that has been of no use.”