In Nepal Floods, Glacial Lake Link And Flashback To Last Year's Tragedy

An avalanche of ice and rock, likely a result of glacial lake outburst, triggered massive flash floods that tore through parts of Nepal, killing at least 95 people and causing extensive damage to villages and infrastructure.

Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development say an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday's flash flood.

The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi River, witnessed maximum flooding, experts said.

"The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in fourteen months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream," Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group, told news agency AFP.

"In a warming Himalaya, early warning is the first line of adaptation," he added.

The worst affected area, Rasuwa district, witnessed similar flash floods in August last year, when a glacial lake in neighboring Tibet overflowed as a result of high temperatures in the mountain region. Nine people lost their lives and critical infrastructure including a bridge connecting the two countries were damaged at the time.

An aerial view of the houses partially submerged in mud-laden flash flood following an outburst in the Bhotekoshi River, in Nepal's Rasuwa on Wednesday

The Himalayan region, which crosses Nepal and several nearby countries including India, is especially vulnerable to heavy rains, floods and landslides because the area is warming up faster than the rest of the world due to human-caused climate change. Research has shown that extreme weather events including heat waves, heavy rains and melting glaciers have become more frequent in the region.

Researchers at the Kathmandu research group found earlier this year that glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting at an accelerating rate, with ice loss rates doubling since 2000 primarily due to rising global temperatures and climate change.

Monsoon rains from June to September regularly trigger deadly floods and landslides across South Asia. Scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region.

Officials said 384 tourists, including 291 from countries including India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Malaysia, were reported missing as a result of today's flash flood.

The Bhotekoshi River flooded around 9 am, destroying several villages as well as roads and hydropower projects, officials said. They issued warnings to residents of several of Nepal's districts and asked them to stay away from the banks of Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers.

In this screengrab from a video, floodwater flows across a residential area in Nepal

Videos shared by Nepal Police and others on social media showed torrents of muddy water crashing through mountain valleys in the landlocked country. 

The Nepal Army said it had deployed helicopters and disaster response personnel to the affected area. 

The Nepal Electricity Authority said about 430 megawatts of production capacity, including from hydropower and solar facilities, has been damaged. Several highways were also closed, Nepalese authorities said.