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Nepal’s massive glacial flood may not be the last: thousands of similar glaciers could break loose and surge onto people
Translated from Estonian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- Scientists believe an ice avalanche may have triggered a Nepalese flash flood that raised the river level by up to nine metres in 30 minutes and killed at least 353 people.
- The region contains thousands of similar glaciers that could break loose and threaten people, researchers say.
A falling glacier fragment can hit a mountain valley almost like a bomb, then set off events that travel dozens of kilometres. Scientists believe that may have happened in Nepal, where the river level rose by up to nine metres in just half an hour and at least 353 people died in a flash flood.
Researchers are now trying to understand how an ice avalanche could have triggered the disaster. The Nepalese event may not be the last: thousands of similar glaciers in the region could also break loose and surge towards populated areas.
About this summary
Originally published by Postimees in Estonian. 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.
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