Gorkha quake: deadliest disaster in decades, reshaping Nepal’s recovery and climate-risk discussions
A glacial collapse on the Nepal–Tibet border has caused a debris-laden flood that has killed hundreds, left more than 1,500 people missing and swept away villages, roads and bridges. Rescue teams are searching across Rasuwa district and Tibet while authorities are trying to identify bodies and account for hundreds of missing foreign tourists.
A glacial collapse on 26 August has produced torrent floods that have killed more than 1,395 people and left over 5,600 missing across Nepal and Tibet. Rescue teams have been recovering bodies, searching buried hydropower tunnels and remote villages, and racing to control newly formed barrier lakes that are threatening further flooding and hampering access.
Flash floods triggered by a glacier collapse along the Nepal–Tibet border have killed hundreds, with thousands missing. Reports from The Guardian and BBC indicate towns along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers have been devastated, with rescue operations ongoing and a contested casualty count between Nepal and Tibet.
A section of glacier near Langtang Lirung has collapsed and has sent a fast-moving surge of ice, rock and water through valleys of Tibet and northern Nepal. Rescue teams from Nepal, China and international partners have been searching for survivors; officials have reported hundreds dead and thousands missing while authorities warn of further flood risk from newly formed lakes.
A Systemiq-led study has found Himalayan glaciers are losing mass 65% faster than a decade ago and that just 21 of an estimated 40,000 glaciers are being monitored on the ground. The research has linked accelerated melt, expanding unstable glacial lakes and thawing permafrost to rising risks of floods, landslides and a mid-century peak-water decline that will affect agriculture, hydropower and millions downstream.
The Langtang Lirung glacier has collapsed, unleashing floods that have killed and displaced thousands along the Nepal‑Tibet border. A World Weather Attribution study finds climate change is a destabilising factor, with warming, glacier thinning and permafrost thaw preconditioning the slope, while a historic 2015 earthquake may have weakened the rock. July–August 2026 were the warmest on record in the region, intensifying meltwater and stress on mountain walls.