The floods that struck Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday (August 26) left hundreds dead and missing. Images recorded during the disaster show people running just seconds before a massive flow of mud swept through communities and destroyed bridges, buildings, and other structures.
Initially, scientists believed the event had been caused by an earthquake. But they later discovered that the tremors were related to a “glacial collapse” (read more below).
The director of the Disaster Studies Center at Tribhuvan University in Nepal, Basanta Raj Adhikari, told BBC News that there is a risk of a “second and third wave” of flooding this Thursday (August 27) or Friday (August 28).
“We still don’t know,” he said, adding that he continues discussing the situation with colleagues in China. According to Adhikari, there is no forecast of heavy rainfall, but new landslides may occur. “We are observing, but we didn’t know this would happen on a specific day.”
Adhikari also said that researchers have been monitoring the risks associated with the Himalayan mountains. “Climate change is really happening.”
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially detected a quake, but later stated that the event was the consequence of a large displacement of ice and debris.
According to the USGS, the seismic event triggered by the glacial collapse was equivalent to magnitude 5.2 and occurred near the border between Nepal and China at 8:37 a.m. local time.
This mass of ice, rocks, and debris reached the Lhende Khola River and is believed to have temporarily blocked the watercourse. When the blockage broke, a huge wave of water, ice, rocks, and mud surged downstream.
Read at BBC
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