Nepal Flood Crisis: Ice Avalanche, Landslide Blocked Lhende River Before Debris Lake Burst Triggered Massive Bhotekoshi Surge | Video
Kathmandu: An ice avalanche and the subsequent formation and bursting of a debris lake may have triggered the sudden flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa, officials at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in Nepal said, according to the Kathmandu Post. In a translated post on X, Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said, "An initial study based on…
An ice avalanche on the Nepal-China border may have caused a sudden flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa, according to officials at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in Nepal. A debris lake formed and burst, releasing a massive surge of water downstream. Satellite images from Planet Labs and China show the blockage occurred 20 kilometers upstream of the Miteri Bridge, where debris had formed a temporary lake that subsequently burst.
Binod Parajuli, chief of the Flood Forecasting Division, stated that the sudden release of water was exacerbated by the large volume of debris carried downstream. If clear water had been the cause, the destruction would not have been as severe. The preliminary assessment aligns with earlier reports of an ice avalanche blocking the Lhende River.
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck Tibetan territory around the same time as the avalanche, adding to the complexity of the situation. While the cause of the flood is still being determined, the Nepal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority is focusing on rescue and relief efforts for now.
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