How a glacial collapse caused Nepal’s catastrophic floods

This is how Nepal's catastrophic floods unfolded. At 8.40am on Wednesday morning, a chunk of this Himalayan glacier collapsed. The impact registered as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event. A landslide of ice, rock, mud and water crashed into the valley below. The surge rushed along the China-Nepal border as it approached the Girong border crossing. Here on the Tibetan side, people ran for their lives as floodwater and debris swept the building away. The surge continued down the Trishuli river. It swallowed parts of Saprubesi, damaging hydropower projects and highways along the way. The flooding then tore through Rasuwa district, destroying homes and infrastructure. From a mountaintop, the water was seen winding its way downstream, in undating villages along the river bank. Further south in Nuwakot district, waters tore through the Trishuli bazaar, breaking bridges and sweeping away homes. In Gajuri district, east of Kathmandu, the Dadangbesi bridge was completely destroyed. By now, the flood had travelled from high in the mountains to communities around 80 kilometres downstream. Within 24 hours, 1,400 people were missing. As water levels fell, the sheer scale of the devastation began to emerge.