NEW DELHI — A landslide 20 kilometers west of Nanda Devi, India’s second-highest peak, resulted in a flash flood on February 7 that left more than 200 dead, and swept away two-state hydro-electric projects, according to satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters.
Avalanches and flash flooding in the Himalayas are common during summer and monsoon months, as melting snow and heavy rains combine. But incidents like this are rare so early in the year, alarming scientists studying climate change that is rapidly heating the world’s highest mountains.
Scientists are still studying the details of exactly what happened but said heavy snowfall followed by bright sunshine led to snow-melt in the…
Keep on reading: Disaster in the Himalayas: How a rare February landslide left over 200 dead