No Heavy Rain, Yet Sudden Torrents Swept In... Possibility of 'Glacial Ice Collapse' Raised

[Anchor]

Let's connect with our correspondent in Beijing to learn more.

Correspondent Choi Go-un, we understand the casualties continue to rise. What is the specific situation? 

[Reporter]

The flood surged down the Bhote Koshi River from the Tibetan side this morning (the 26th) and swept through riverside areas in Rasuwa, Nepal.

As you saw in reporter Yoo Deok-ki's report earlier, a massive wall of water rushed in so swiftly that evacuation warnings became meaningless, swallowing up everything in its path.

Because hydropower plant construction sites and several villages were swept away, the casualties are expected to increase significantly as search and rescue operations continue.

However, major overland transport routes connecting China and Nepal have been severed in multiple places, and several bridges have been washed away. Even where roads remain, entry is difficult due to accumulated mud and rocks.

In areas with high water levels, even rescue helicopters are struggling to land.

[Anchor]

It is hard to believe. What caused such a sudden, massive flood and landslide?

[Reporter]

There was no heavy rain capable of causing a disaster in the hardest-hit areas yesterday and today.

The Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers it highly likely that a magnitude 4.4 earthquake near the high-altitude border region in Tibet just before the flood triggered the collapse of large ice masses and landslides by shaking the high-altitude terrain and glaciers.

Initial investigations also suggest that blocks of ice and rock collapsed and momentarily dammed the river, causing water to back up before violently bursting through and sending fierce debris flows rushing downstream.

There is also the possibility of a glacial lake outburst flood, where a glacial lake formed by melting high-altitude glaciers ruptured, releasing a massive volume of water all at once.

[Anchor]

How are the Chinese and Nepalese governments responding?

[Reporter]

In Nepal, the prime minister convened an emergency meeting and ordered an all-out public-private joint rescue operation involving the Red Cross, medical teams, and scouts.

Consequently, large numbers of Nepalese military and police personnel have been deployed to the scene, utilizing helicopters and drones to rescue isolated residents and tourists while stepping up the search for the missing.

China has also officially announced large-scale casualties and missing persons and initiated an emergency response.

President Xi Jinping instructed authorities to mobilize all available means to search for and rescue the missing and evacuate residents in danger.

He also ordered the immediate reinforcement of monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters such as additional collapses.

(Video by Kim Jong-mi)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.