TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The stability of the Mataian Creek barrier lake dam is still not sufficient to guarantee no more overflow will happen, reports said Saturday.

A team from the Hualien branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency reached the lake in the mountains above Guangfu Township Saturday afternoon, per CNA. The nine-member team set out on foot for the lake on September 30.

Earlier observation with drones showed that the water level had dropped 118 meters to 1,020 m since the September 23 overflow, but otherwise there had been no recent changes. The agency concluded that the stability of the dam containing the lake still posed a problem.

The team took five days to reach the lake because there were no clear paths and the terrain posed numerous problems. Phone reception was poor, so at the moment, agency officials only knew that there was a lot of dust in the air around the lake. They said they would have to wait until the team’s return six days from now to learn more details.

A report by a team member posted on Threads spoke of dust entering his eyes and about breathing problems. Close to the lake, there was a danger of sinking into the mud, while near the mountainside the threat was falling rocks, and the sunlight was hard to see because of the dust, he said.

The team moved from an altitude of 1,800 m to 1,000 m and back Saturday, the team member said, adding they would start preparing for the return journey on Sunday.