Tibetan glacial lake drainage triggered deadly flood in Nepal, climate body says
At least 19 people, including six Chinese workers at the Beijing-aided Inland Container Depot, remain missing in Nepal after Tuesday's floods that also washed away the "Friendship Bridge" that links Nepal and China.
China's official Xinhua news agency has said 11 people were unaccounted for on the Chinese side of the mountainous border region.
The Kathmandu-based International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said satellite imagery showed the flood originated from the draining of the lake north of Nepal's Langtang Himal range.
"This is based on the preliminary analysis based on the available satellite images," said Sudan Maharjan, a remote sensing analyst and expert of glaciers at ICIMOD.
A supraglacial lake is formed on the surface of glaciers, particularly in debris-covered areas. It often begins as small meltwater ponds that gradually expand and sometimes merge to form a larger supraglacial lake, experts say.
Saswata Sanyal, another ICIMOD official, said such events were increasing at an "unprecedented" pace in the Hindu Kush mountains that are spread across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.
"We need to delve deeper into the triggers that are resulting in cascading impacts," Sanyal said.
The June-September monsoon causes massive floods and landslides in mountainous Nepal which, officials and experts say, is vulnerable to effects of climate change like extreme weather patterns, inconsistent rainfall, flash floods, landslides and glacial lake outburst floods.
This year's early monsoon rains have inflicted deadly damage elsewhere in Nepal where at least 38 people have been killed or are missing since May 29, according to data from the government's National Disaster Relief, Reduction and Management Authority.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NHK
a day ago
- NHK
Japan's Tokara Islands hit by 2,000 quakes since June 21
More than 2,000 earthquakes that can be felt by humans have recently struck around a southwestern Japanese island chain. Weather officials are calling on people to remain vigilant for more earthquakes that could register lower 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of zero to seven. Seismic activity has intensified since June 21 around Akusekijima Island and Kodakarajima Island in the Tokara Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture. A quake measuring lower 6 hit Akusekijima Island on July 3, followed by two jolts with intensities of upper 5 on July 6. Another quake registering lower 5 struck the island on July 7. The Japan Meteorological Agency says that as of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, a total of 2,087 tremors with intensities of one or higher have been observed in the sea off the Tokara Islands since June 21. This week alone, there were 40 on Monday, 31 on Tuesday, and 11 up to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, including one measuring 4 on Akusekijima Island that occurred after 2 a.m. The sea off the island chain saw a series of earthquakes in 2021 and 2023. But the number of recent jolts has far exceeded the past figures.
NHK
6 days ago
- NHK
How to avoid water accidents
A week after a flooded river left hundreds dead or missing in Texas, NHK talked to a safety expert on how to avoid water-related accidents.
Japan Times
10-07-2025
- Japan Times
Tibetan glacial lake drainage triggered deadly flood in Nepal, climate body says
The deadly flood in Nepal's Bhote Koshi River that killed at least nine people and left more than two dozen missing this week was triggered by the draining of a supraglacial lake in the Tibet region of China, a regional climate monitoring body said on Wednesday. At least 19 people, including six Chinese workers at the Beijing-aided Inland Container Depot, remain missing in Nepal after Tuesday's floods that also washed away the "Friendship Bridge" that links Nepal and China. China's official Xinhua news agency has said 11 people were unaccounted for on the Chinese side of the mountainous border region. The Kathmandu-based International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said satellite imagery showed the flood originated from the draining of the lake north of Nepal's Langtang Himal range. "This is based on the preliminary analysis based on the available satellite images," said Sudan Maharjan, a remote sensing analyst and expert of glaciers at ICIMOD. A supraglacial lake is formed on the surface of glaciers, particularly in debris-covered areas. It often begins as small meltwater ponds that gradually expand and sometimes merge to form a larger supraglacial lake, experts say. Saswata Sanyal, another ICIMOD official, said such events were increasing at an "unprecedented" pace in the Hindu Kush mountains that are spread across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. "We need to delve deeper into the triggers that are resulting in cascading impacts," Sanyal said. The June-September monsoon causes massive floods and landslides in mountainous Nepal which, officials and experts say, is vulnerable to effects of climate change like extreme weather patterns, inconsistent rainfall, flash floods, landslides and glacial lake outburst floods. This year's early monsoon rains have inflicted deadly damage elsewhere in Nepal where at least 38 people have been killed or are missing since May 29, according to data from the government's National Disaster Relief, Reduction and Management Authority.
