Newly released video footage shows the dramatic moment a giant glacier collapsed in the Himalayas, an event that triggered catastrophic flash floods and mudslides in parts of Nepal and Tibet. The video, filmed by a Chinese tour guide in Tibet, captures huge sections of ice breaking away from a ridge on the Langtang Lirung peak, located on the Nepali side of the border.
Hikers in the vicinity reported hearing a loud crack immediately before ice, rock, and debris plunged into the valley below, generating an immense cloud of dust. The glacier's collapse initiated a landslide that formed a lake in the valley. This impounded water then surged through the mountain river system, leading to the disaster that devastated communities downstream.
The disaster has resulted in a death toll of 676, with nearly 3,000 individuals still missing across Nepal and Tibet. Among the missing are over 500 foreign tourists, including 33 British nationals. Many foreign nationals are believed to have been near Rasuwagadhi, possibly on pilgrimages or trekking expeditions.
Search and rescue operations have resumed after a temporary suspension due to adverse weather conditions, with helicopters returning to the most severely affected areas. A UK rapid deployment team arrived in Nepal to assist British nationals and their families. Authorities are closely monitoring two lakes upstream of the flood zone, warning that the threat of further flooding persists until they are fully drained.
Satellite images taken in the aftermath of the event, described as a 'tsunami from the sky,' show entire settlements eradicated. The Rasuwagadhi border crossing, situated at one end of the Friendship Bridge connecting Nepal and Tibet, was reached by rescuers and found to be annihilated. Fresh satellite imagery highlights the scale of destruction, revealing that entire settlements have vanished, swept away by the torrent of mud and water that traveled along the Trishuli River.
The Gyirong region crossing, a key access point for pilgrims and trekkers to the Langtang valley, was among the first sites to capture distressing footage of the flood. CCTV recordings showed people fleeing as the water and mud engulfed a large building.
A Chinese rescue team, the first to reach the obliterated crossing, reported finding "nothing but ruins." According to state media, the team of 21 rescuers and a search-and-rescue dog arrived to find that the area, including the road, had been replaced by virgin forest and sheer cliffs. The crossing, its car park, and the Friendship Bridge have disappeared, leaving only the river and surrounding greenery.
Other images show bridges across the Trishuli River and small settlements on its banks destroyed. The village of Syapru Besi, previously a bustling community, has been largely washed away, with only a few houses situated further from the river surviving. Construction sites, camping areas, and footbridges have also been impacted, with vast areas of trees and forest stripped away.
