On Wednesday, August 26, a catastrophic flood in Nepal and Tibet caused the deaths of hundreds of people, while dozens are still considered missing. Geomorphologists spoke about the results of an analysis of satellite imagery, Associated Press reports, as UNN writes.
Details
Scientists Kristen Cook and Dan Sugar reviewed satellite images of the area near Nepal’s border with Tibet to determine the cause of the flood and assess the scale of the destruction.
The first images, received on Wednesday, were partially obscured by clouds and dust from debris. In them, the researchers saw that part of the glacier had broken away from the summit of Langtang Lirung.
Drones deployed in Nepal to search for people affected by the flood27.08.26, 19:20
Clearer images obtained on Thursday made it possible to examine the mountain slope in greater detail. According to the scientists, they found signs of a massive collapse of bedrock beneath the glacier.
It showed the entire area with no details hidden, and we could see that, yes, it appeared that not only this glacier had collapsed, but also a much larger section of the bedrock of the mountain slope itself
According to him, the collapse of a large mass of bedrock carried away part of the glacier and also caused a significant amount of boulders and ice to fall into the valley. The researchers continue to analyze satellite data to determine the full scale of the collapse and its role in the formation of the flood.
The death toll from catastrophic floods in Nepal has risen to 38927.08.26, 23:03