Decades of warming linked to rock-ice avalanche
Summary
Decades of warming in the Himalayas helped pre-condition the catastrophic rock-ice avalanche that struck Nepal’s Bhotekoshi and Trishuli corridors on August 26. The disaster has killed at least 1,410 people in Nepal, left more than 6,000 missing and caused widespread destruction across several districts.
Key Points
- An international scientific assessment says long-term warming in the Himalayas helped set up the rock-ice avalanche, but climate change was not the sole trigger.
- Researchers also point to the 2015 Nepal earthquake as a likely factor that weakened the mountain’s rock structure.
- The disaster has killed at least 1,410 people, left over 6,000 missing and displaced thousands more across six districts.
- The avalanche turned into a massive debris flow that destroyed border infrastructure, towns and energy assets along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli corridors.
