[Anchor]
Even as it remains uncertain when recovery efforts for the devastating floods in Nepal will conclude, forecasts suggest a second wave of flooding could strike. Experts warn that, much like the cause of the initial disaster, the collapse of glaciers in the mountains could trigger another flood without a single drop of rain.
Reporter Choi Go-un has more.
[Reporter]
A border checkpoint connecting Nepal and China.
A massive mound of mud completely swallows an entire building.
A parking structure where dozens of buses were gathered is instantly crushed as if it were a toy.
Nothing could withstand the muddy tsunami that swept down the canyon at high speed accompanied by a deafening roar.
[Flood Witness: It looked like the current was moving at about 20 meters per second. The flood struck in such a short time that the chances of escaping were extremely low.]
The glacier collapse has been pointed out as the cause of the massive flood, which occurred despite the clear weather with little rain.
In the high-altitude border region between Nepal and China, climate change caused a massive collapse of glaciers and rocks that blocked the river's flow. This temporarily formed "glacial dam" could no longer hold, suddenly collapsing and unleashing a massive volume of water and debris downstream all at once.
The tremors initially observed as an earthquake by the U.S. Geological Survey were also revealed to be earthquake-like phenomena generated by the collapse of the glacier and rock mass.
[Tang Chuan / Chengdu University of Technology Institute of Geological Disaster Prevention: Water mixed with glaciers and rocks poured down like a waterfall along the main valley, eroding the rocks along its path and triggering a massive debris flow, resulting in a large-scale disaster.]
The greater concern is the risk of a secondary flood.
Aerial footage clearly captured debris blocking the river in the upstream area where the flood first began.
The debris flow is of such a massive scale that it cannot be easily removed, with the thickness of the edges reaching 1.5 meters.
[Chinese State-Owned CCTV Reporter: It has started to rain, and the aircraft is soaked. Despite the difficult situation, we are maintaining low-altitude flight to head to the disaster area.]
There are concerns that if water continues to accumulate in the affected section, it could collapse again when it fails to withstand the pressure, dealing a major blow to the already difficult rescue and recovery operations.
(Video Editing: Wi Won-yang, Design: Seo Seung-hyun)
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