Glacier Collapse on Nepal–Tibet Border Kills Over 1,000

Overview

• A high Himalayan glacier partially collapsed on Wednesday, Aug. 26, sending a fast-moving avalanche of ice, water, rock and debris down the Trishuli valley and triggering floods and landslides across the Nepal–Tibet border.
• Official tallies have climbed past 1,000 dead with more than 4,000 people still unaccounted for, and authorities say many of the missing are workers at hydropower projects along the river.
• Rescue teams are focusing on dozens of damaged hydropower sites and tunnels where drones, controlled blasts, drilling and heavy excavators are being used to reach buried workers but high mud levels have dimmed hopes for survivors.
• Operations have been repeatedly suspended because of forming barrier lakes, unstable slopes and bad weather, and recovered bodies are being buried in mass graves while DNA samples are collected because refrigeration is insufficient.
• The disaster has drawn specialized teams and technical aid from neighboring countries and international agencies, and officials and scientists link the collapse to growing glacier instability tied to warming with major implications for Nepal’s remote infrastructure and recovery needs.