A massive landslide and flash flood on the Nepal-Tibet border has caused widespread damage, with hundreds of people dead and hundreds more missing, the BBC reports.
Rescue and search operations have begun, with Chinese state media reporting many lives lost, while Nepalese officials have said they expect heavy losses.
Nepal’s Foreign Ministry initially reported that an earthquake had been recorded near the Tibet-Nepal border before the landslide, suggesting it could have triggered a disaster. Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey (USGS) initially reported a 4.4-magnitude earthquake on the 26th of August, but later said the activity recorded was a glacier collapse and sediment slide, causing catastrophic effects downstream. The USGS said on the 27th of August that additional analysis of nearby seismic data, long-term seismic waves and satellite images had led to the conclusion that the seismic activity was actually a glacier collapse and sediment movement, and that there was no earthquake.
Nepalese authorities also told the BBC that a large block of ice may have broken off the mountain, carrying rocks and soil with it. Climate change is known to have accelerated the melting of glaciers in the Hindu Kush region of the Himalayas, and as rescue efforts continue, scientists are trying to figure out what exactly happened. Simon Cook, a lecturer at the University of Dundee who specialises in glaciology, said climate change could have played a role. The scientist said that some mountains are held together by permafrost, and as it thaws, more such landslides can be expected.
One possibility is that rain or melting glacier water destabilized the ground or ice, setting off a chain reaction.
Scientists will use satellite imagery to determine where the landslide occurred, whether any glacial lakes have drained, and where river flows may have been blocked, as well as rainfall data.
Huge masses of rock were hurtling toward towns in northern Nepal, including areas popular with mountain tourists and pilgrims. The border is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.
Video footage showed a wall of mud and rocks washing away buildings, roads and vehicles.
Extreme flooding was reported along the Bote Koshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers. The International Centre for Mountain Development (ICIDMOD) warned that the rocks entering river systems could trigger another wave of flooding. ICIDMOD is currently assessing whether the Trishuli River is blocked at its narrowest points. If so, there is a risk of a landslide dam forming, which could cause flooding if it collapses.
The search for survivors is still ongoing, and the exact number of dead or missing is unknown.
Nepalese police have reported at least 165 deaths. Nepal’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Agency reported on the morning of the 27th of August that 826 people were still missing, including more than 529 tourists. Among the tourists were 466 foreign nationals.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that 558 people were missing in Tibet, including 260 foreign nationals. Three bodies were found in Tibet on the 27th of August.
It is not known whether the numbers of missing and dead in Nepal and Tibet have been re-verified.
Nepal’s prime minister said the country was in shock and in deep distress, and officials would coordinate with China. Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all efforts to search for and rescue the missing, and has promised to improve the early warning system.
Tourists from all over the world come to Nepal to climb mountains and visit holy sites. Official information shows that 291 foreigners are among the missing, including 142 Indians, 53 Ukrainians, 17 Malaysians (a representative of the Malaysian embassy in Nepal said that more than 50 of the country’s citizens have not been contacted at this time), 33 Britons, 24 Canadians, 54 Americans, 34 Australians, and citizens of other countries, including 15 Latvians in Nepal who are unaccounted for.
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