Nepal floods highlight growing glacier risks in warming Himalayas

Bengaluru, India — The devastating flash flood that struck Nepal on Wednesday was probably triggered by a massive section of a glacier breaking off and momentarily blocking a river, according to early analyses by experts. The sudden surge of water downstream, which occurred hours later, was likely caused by the damming of water, they hypothesized.

Scientists are still analyzing satellite and ground-based data to determine the precise cause of the flood, which claimed the lives of at least 353 people and left more than 1,300 others missing, including foreign nationals and pilgrims. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 5.2 glacier collapse that sent debris cascading downstream, resulting in catastrophic damage to nearby communities.

The determination was based on data from nearby seismic stations, long-period seismic waves, and satellite imagery. Jakob Steiner, a geoscientist at the University of Graz in Austria currently based in Bangladesh, explained that "a lower part of a glacier has really come off." He added that "if you look at the imagery it’s like someone cut with a huge knife through the"