Families Search Nepal for 33 Missing Britons as Flood Toll Reaches 475

Q: What caused the mysterious seismic signal that triggered a deadly Himalayan tsunami, leaving dozens of British pilgrims vanishing without a trace?

The “mysterious” seismic signal was not an earthquake. It was generated by a massive glacier collapse and ice-rock landslide high above the Lhende Khola near the Nepal-Tibet border, according to the US Geological Survey and satellite-based analyses. Investigators say a large section of glacier broke away, crashed into the valley and sent rock, ice and debris into the river system. The impact was so powerful that it produced seismic waves initially mistaken for a magnitude 4.4 quake; later analysis reclassified it as a landslide signal of about magnitude 5.2. In other words, the collapse itself made its own quake-like signature. That collapse appears to have triggered a cascading disaster. The falling ice and rock likely blocked the river temporarily, creating a short-lived dam or lake. When that blockage failed, a fast-moving surge of water, mud, boulders and debris roared downstream through the Lhende Khola into the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers, producing the tsunami-like flash flood that devastated border settlements and swept away pilgrims and other travelers. Scientists say the precise trigger for the glacier failure is still under study. But experts cited in reporting say warming temperatures, glacier melt and thawing permafrost are making high Himalayan slopes more unstable, increasing the risk of glacier collapses, landslides and catastrophic flood cascades.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 28

Thirty-three British nationals are now listed missing in Nepal, prompting relatives to fly in and search after flash floods tore through the Nepal-Tibet border region.
At least 475 people have died and several hundred remain missing, including 537 tourists, while authorities warn more flooding could hamper rescue efforts.
Mount Kailash pilgrimage tours were heavily affected: Fishtail Tours said 27 linked travelers are unaccounted for, Alpine Eco Trek lost contact with 12 Britons, and The Trekkers' Society reported nine missing Britons.
U.S. Geological Survey analysis said the Wednesday disaster in Rasuwa was triggered by a glacial collapse and debris flow that generated a magnitude 5.2 seismic event, not an earthquake as first thought.
Britain has offered £5 million in aid to Nepal, as concern grows over missing children, tour guides and families caught in one of the region's deadliest flood disasters.

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bbc.co.uk2h ago

Families Search for 33 Missing Britons in Nepal After Devastating Flash Floods

The Guardian4h ago

Search is on for at least 33 Britons missing after flash floods in Nepal and Tibet | Nepal-Tibet flood disaster | The Guardian

BBC.com12h ago

Slough woman among Britons missing in Nepal flash floods

11 Sources

With secondary floodwaters bursting and infrastructure obliterated, how can desperate families arriving in Nepal possibly find their missing loved ones alive?

What caused the mysterious seismic signal that triggered a deadly Himalayan tsunami, leaving dozens of British pilgrims vanishing without a trace?

Are rapidly melting glaciers turning sacred Himalayan pilgrimage routes into unavoidable death traps for hundreds of unsuspecting global tourists?