Watch: How the collapse of a glacier caused such devastation
At least 270 people have died in the massive flash floods, while more than 800 others are missing.
A massive glacier collapse is believed to have triggered a catastrophic flood on the Nepal-Tibet border. According to the US Geological Survey, the disaster was caused by a "glacial collapse", which occurs when a glacier or part of a glacier disintegrates. The impact of the collapsed glacier hitting the bottom of a valley was powerful enough to register a magnitude of 5.2.
The collapse is thought to have occurred in a northwesterly direction, with the glacier travelling westwards downstream. An analysis by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development found that an "ice-rock avalanche" originating from a high-altitude area may have caused a large volume of ice and rock debris to enter a tributary river, the Lende Khola.
Rising global temperatures are putting increasing pressure on glaciers, experts say. At least 177 people have been killed in the disaster, with over 1,300 people still missing, including foreigners and pilgrims, and hundreds displaced across the Himalayan region, according to France 24, which reported at least 180 deaths.
Brief written by urgent.news from Euronews, GBC Ghana, France 24, IOL, RTE News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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