Glacier collapse may have triggered deadly Nepal flash flood, experts say
USGS said seismic signals came from a glacier collapse and debris flow, not an earthquake, as nearly 1,500 people remained missing, officials said.
- On Wednesday, a catastrophic flash flood swept through river valleys in Nepal and the Chinese territory of Tibet, killing at least 31 people with hundreds of tourists reported missing.
- Geologists attribute the surge to an ice avalanche where a massive chunk of ice snapped off a glacier and blocked the Lhende River, causing water to accumulate before breaching downstream.
- Geologist Daniel Shugar noted satellite imagery showed the glacier break occurred about 65 kilometres north of Kathmandu, with ice falling almost 1200 metres. Scientists are investigating a 4.4 magnitude earthquake near the site.
- Nepal's Flood Forecasting Division warned that risks remain in the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli areas since the river blockage has not fully drained. Officials urged residents to stay away from rivers.
- Himalayan expert Farooq Azam said the region is "out of balance entirely" due to climate change and population pressure, echoing the 2021 Chamoli disaster that killed about 200 people.
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130 Articles
The steep slopes and lush valleys beneath the Himalayan mountain range are particularly vulnerable to floods and landslides.
A devastating flood occurred in Nepal near the Chinese border. Initially thought to be an earthquake, a falling glacier devastated the region. So how did this natural disaster in Nepal occur?
The glaciers on the steep flanks of the Himalayas are very unstable. Satellite imagery shows that the piece that broke off on Wednesday caused a disaster “was one kilometer wide, one and a half kilometers long, and estimated to be up to 200 meters thick”.
According to an expert, the gigantic tidal wave in Nepal is due to a glacier collapse.
EFE The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and China point to the collapse of a glacier as the cause of the huge flood that struck a border area between northern Nepal and Tibet (southeastern China), with a balance of 362 dead and about 1,400 missing reported by both sides. “It was a glacial collapse and a stream of debris,” the USGS ordered on Thursday, initially linking the origin of the tragedy to a 4.4 magnitude earthquake in Nepal and, later, to…
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