New Delhi:
Drone footage has accidentally captured the glacier collapse that led to the catastrophic floods and left hundreds of people dead in Nepal and Tibet last week.
The footage, captured by a Chinese photographer, shows an enormous mass of bedrock and glacier ice breaking off a slope near the Langtang Lirung peak, which is more than 7,200 metres above sea level.
Huge plumes of dust were then seen rising from the mountains.
A Chinese photographer accidentally captured the catastrophic avalanche on Mount Lamtang in Nepal during a drone shoot.
[📹 HeyMu. Travel] pic.twitter.com/rgWylkezSC
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The deluge of ice, rock, mud and debris then slammed into the valley about 1,200 metres below and triggered flash floods that severely swelled the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers, killing 903 people in Nepal and 16 in Tibet on August 26.
More than 4,500 people are still missing, mostly in Nepal.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah has said that Nepal is facing an “unimaginable and heartbreaking” disaster with authorities struggling to assess the full scale of devastating floods.
“Our country has been facing an unimaginable and heartbreaking natural disaster,” he said in a social media post late Sunday.
“The devastating floods in the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa have made it extremely difficult to collect a complete account of the loss of life, property, and infrastructure,” he added.
“Although this task remains challenging due to adverse weather, difficult terrain, and ongoing risks, we are moving forward with determination to protect the lives of the citizens,” Shah, whose party swept elections in March, said.
Photo Credit: (Photo: PTI)
“We will succeed in overcoming this crisis through our unity and collective efforts,” he said.
In 2021, a similar rock and ice avalanche in Uttarakhand sent about 950 million cubic feet of rock and ice – roughly 80% rock, 20% ice – cascading down from Ronti Peak. It destroyed a hydropower plant and killed or left missing about 200 people, many of them dam workers.
In 2023, thawing permafrost led to a rock collapse into South Lhonak Lake in Sikkim, generating a wave that burst through the moraine holding back the glacial lake. The outburst flood sent more than 13 billion gallons of water rushing down the mountain, damaging several dams, more than 25,000 buildings and more than 30 bridges.
In 2025, roughly 335 million cubic feet of rock and ice fell from the Birch Glacier in the Swiss Alps, burying most of the village of Blatten.
(With agency inputs)
