Binod Parajuli

Force in Play

Led analysis of the flood's cause and the landslide lake risk

The morning of August 26, a 600-meter-wide slab of glacier and rock peeled off Langtang Lirung, a 23,700-foot peak on the Nepal-China border, and fell 1,200 meters into the valley. The debris dammed the Lhende Khola river; hours later the dam burst, sending a wall of ice, mud, and water down the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers.

Updated 2 hours ago