Nepal’s Himalayan Tragedy and new Warnings of Surging El Niño
by Rajan Philips Nepal was bracing for Super El Niño. Then it got hit by a two thousand feet wide glacier collapse way up in the Himalayas that sent torrents of water, mud and rocks down valleys and rivers, devastating communities, tourists and physical assets in the mountainous terrains of Nepal and Tibet in China. […]
Nepal was preparing for a Super El Niño when it was struck by a massive glacier collapse in the Himalayas. The disaster caused torrents of water, mud and rocks to cascade down valleys and rivers, causing destruction in the mountainous regions of Nepal and Tibet in China. The impact was felt on both sides of the China-Nepal border, but Nepal bore the brunt of the devastation.
Over a thousand people have died, thousands are missing, and many tourists are among the missing. The disaster has been captured on terrifying videos, with one showing a massive wall of mud sweeping away a Chinese border station building in the Gyirong gorge. El Niño, exacerbated by global warming, is raising the risk of extreme heat, floods and drought not just in Nepal, but around the world.
The World Meteorological Organization warns that the effects of this year's unusually strong El Niño are expected to continue into February 2027, breaking the record of the warmest year on planet. Despite efforts by the UN and WMO, world leaders have other preoccupations and have not prioritized climate change mitigation.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
