Nepal floods: Glacier collapse was not the sole cause, says expert

The devastating disaster in Nepal was not caused by a single event but by a complex cascade of natural phenomena, according to Professor Efthymios Lekkas, president of the Hellenic Rescue Team, who is on the ground studying the causes.

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The disaster was not attributable solely to the collapse of the glacier.

Lekkas explained that high temperatures created weaknesses and fractures within the glacier, increasing its mobility. This led to a massive collapse of ice, rocks, and soil from an altitude of approximately 3,000 meters. The debris plunged into a lake formed by a previous landslide, breaching its natural dam. The immense pressure released a torrent of water and material, creating a flash flood that surged approximately 100 kilometers, carrying mud, rocks, and infrastructure with it.

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High temperatures caused discontinuities and breaches in the glacier mass, increasing its mobility.

Preliminary analysis indicates the event originated in the Himalayas at an altitude of about 6,200 meters. The detached section of the glacier was estimated to be 610 meters wide, highlighting the scale of the initial collapse. The disaster has left a critical situation, with hundreds of potential landslide sites identified. The previous floods have undercut canyon slopes, destabilizing the land above. Heavy rainfall further increases the risk of new rock and soil detachments, potentially causing further flash floods and exacerbating the destruction.

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The pressure from the mass of ice and rocks breached the natural dam of the lake, resulting in the release of enormous quantities of water and materials.

The Hellenic Rescue Team's mission focuses on documenting and analyzing the sequence of risks, from landslides and floods to soil erosion and mudslides. They are also assessing the vulnerability of structures and infrastructure to understand how and why these specific disasters occurred. The operational response is extremely challenging due to the extensive damage to villages and settlements at the base of the canyons. A significant portion of the road network has been destroyed, with approximately 60 kilometers of road to Tibet now impassable, severely hindering access and recovery efforts. This echoes the difficulties faced after the major 2015 earthquake in the region, where restoring road networks in such challenging terrain proved to be a lengthy and arduous process.

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The situation remains critical, as the occurrence of new flood events cannot be ruled out.