A glacial collapse near the border between Nepal and China on Wednesday morning caused catastrophic flash floods in Nepal. The event, which registered as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event at 8:37 AM local time, resulted in a torrent of mud, water, and debris bursting the banks of the Trishuli river.
The landslide of ice and rock swept away homes, roads, bridges, and power plants. Experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Kathmandu reported that water levels on the Trishuli river rose by as much as nine metres in half an hour, with its tributary, the Lhende Khola river, being most affected.
Initial satellite analysis by Daniel Shugar, a geomorphologist at the University of Calgary, indicated that a 0.2 sq km chunk of ice collapsed approximately 1.2km vertically. Satellite imagery also suggested that a large amount of snow had melted in the 24 hours prior to the disaster, possibly due to warm temperatures.
While the specific relationship between glacier collapse and climate change is not yet clear, scientists have high confidence in the link between glacier retreat and climate change. The Himalayas are warming twice as fast as the global average, increasing the risk of avalanches, landslides, and floods in the region.