Nepal Floods Triggered by Massive Glacier Landslide: Scientist
· World · ABC News, NDTV, New York Times
The deadly Nepal floods originated from a massive landslide in the Himalayas that dislodged a large glacier, setting off a chain reaction on Wednesday, according to Columbia University geophysicist Göran Ekström. The event registered a 5.2 magnitude earthquake on seismographs worldwide, with Ekström estimating flood waters reached 130-160 feet high and moved as fast as 44 miles per hour down the valley. At least 157 people have been killed and 75 wounded, while 384 people, including 291 foreigners and 93 Nepalis, remain missing. Among the missing are at least 47 American tourists, according to the Nepal Tourism Board. Ekström said such events would occur naturally but that climate change is accelerating glacier melt, making similar disasters more frequent in mountain regions.
Why it matters
The scale of destruction and the confirmed involvement of foreign tourists, including 47 Americans and Indians on the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra, makes this a major cross-border disaster with implications for climate-driven Himalayan hazards and pilgrimage route safety.
Read the original report — ABC News
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