Tsunami of dirt: What caused Nepal’s deadly glacial flood?
A massive landslide triggered by glacial instability caused a deadly debris flow in Nepal's Bhote Koshi River valley. Experts warn that climate change is destabilizing Himalayan permafrost, increasing the risk of similar catastrophic events.
Why it matters
This disaster underscores the growing threat of climate-induced geological hazards in high-altitude regions, which are increasingly vulnerable to rapid environmental changes.
More than 150 people are dead and hundreds more missing after an enormous wave of water, ice, mud and rock cascaded more than 170 kilometres down the Bhote Koshi River valley in Nepal. The valley is the main link between Kathmandu in Nepal and Lhasa in Tibet. At least 34 Australians are missing. There was little warning.
Footage of the debris-laden flash flood is shocking. It is, unfortunately, not surprising.
As an expert in glaciers, I have tracked their accelerating retreat around the world as they melt – and the disasters that can follow. Early analysis suggests the abrupt collapse of a glacier triggered the disaster.
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