DistantNews
Support us
🇸🇪 Sweden /Disasters & Emergencies

Glacier collapse sends flood with 'incredible force,' expert says

From Svenska Dagbladet · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • A powerful flood, moving at an average speed of 40 km/h, swept through a valley, likely triggered by a glacier icefall.
  • An expert explained that as glaciers shrink, large ice pieces can detach from steep mountainsides, causing such events.
  • The incident occurred in the border region between Nepal and Tibet, with the glacier having been significantly larger about 100 years ago.

A devastating flood, propelled by a massive icefall from a glacier, surged through a valley at an average speed of 40 kilometers per hour. The event, which occurred in the border region between Nepal and Tibet, has highlighted the dramatic impact of climate change on glacial landscapes.

Mats Eriksson, head of georisks and geodata at the Swedish Geotechnical Institute, described the event as moving with "incredible force." He explained that the glacier, which was considerably larger about a century ago, has shrunk significantly. This reduction in size has left it resting precariously on a steep mountainside, making it susceptible to large ice detachments.

It goes incredibly fast and with incredible force.

— Mats ErikssonDescribing the speed and power of the flood caused by the glacier collapse.

"As it decreases in size, it eventually rests steeply on a mountainside. Then it can happen that large pieces of ice break off and slide down the slope, and that is what has happened here," Eriksson stated, referring to the disaster.

The incident underscores the growing risks associated with melting glaciers, particularly in mountainous regions. As ice masses recede, they can destabilize and trigger catastrophic events like landslides and flash floods, posing significant threats to downstream communities and infrastructure.

But as it decreases in size, it eventually rests steeply on a mountainside. Then it can happen that large pieces of ice break off and slide down the slope, and that is what has happened here.

— Mats ErikssonExplaining the process by which glaciers shrinking can lead to icefalls and subsequent floods.
About this summary

Originally published by Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog