Nepal floods highlight growing glacier risks in warming Himalayas

The deadly flash flood in Nepal on Wednesday was likely caused by a huge chunk of a glacier breaking off and temporarily damming a river, according to preliminary investigations by scientists. This event may have led to the backed-up water surging downstream with enormous force a few hours later, they suggested. While scientists are still piecing together information from satellite and ground-level data to determine the exact cause of the flood, which killed at least 273 people and left more than 1,300 missing, they acknowledge that as Earth's temperature rises due to global warming, the risks posed by melting glaciers are growing in the warming Himalayas.

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