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🇳🇴 Norway /Disasters & Emergencies

Satellite detected major movement in mountain before disaster, but no one noticed

From Aftenposten · () Norwegian

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

At a glance

News From a news agency Outcome reported
  • Satellite radar detected more than 30 centimeters of movement in Nepal’s Langtang Lirung mountain over one month before the collapse.
  • Analysts examined the data only after a massive rock-and-ice mass triggered a catastrophic flash flood on Aug. 26.
  • At least 1,287 people have been confirmed dead and more than 5,083 remain missing, Reuters reported.

A satellite detected a major shift in Nepal’s Langtang Lirung mountain before the catastrophic landslide, but nobody analyzed the warning until the mountain had already collapsed.

The satellite radar recorded more than 30 centimeters of movement in the mountain over a single month. A Norwegian expert described that as a “large” movement.

The data came from a satellite launched jointly by the United States and India at a cost of 14 billion kroner. Yet the warning remained unexamined until after Aug. 26, when a huge mass of rock and ice broke loose and crashed into the valley below.

The collapse caused a catastrophic flash flood in the Himalayas. At least 1,287 people have been confirmed dead, while more than 5,083 remain missing, according to Reuters.

About this summary

Originally published by Aftenposten in Norwegian. 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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