It isn’t yet certain what triggered the devastating flood that killed hundreds, likely thousands, of people in Nepal and China. Scientists are increasingly inclined to blame climate change and the warming that is shrinking glaciers and rendering mountainous terrain more prone to landslides and floods. Geography will make these disasters increasingly calamitous, and the countries most at risk are often the least able to protect themselves or respond effectively.
Wednesday morning, a flash flood inundated Himalayan river valleys on the China-Nepal border when a 5.2 seismic event sent tons of ice and rock into the waters. That unleashed a tsunami of water and mud, estimated to have reached 9 meters in height at one point at a speed exceeding 50 km per hour, that raced across the landscape, wiping out villages, communities and all other infrastructure. As we go to press, more than 390 people have been killed and more than 1,400 are missing but the remote location – more than 5,000 meters in altitude – along with the destruction of roads and bridges make accurate assessments impossible.
In addition, many of the victims were foreigners, and having a count of them may be challenging if they did not register with local officials. The death toll will surely climb as will the number of displaced survivors. People are reportedly trapped in hydropower facilities along the waterways as well as many villages along the rivers.
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