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Manoochehr Shirzaei and Jakob Steiner identify accelerating glacier movement as a key warning sign before Nepal-China border floods

A catastrophic avalanche of ice and rock from the Langtang Lirung peak collapsed into the Lhende Khola river, causing devastating floods across the Nepal-China border. The Nepalese government reported a death toll of 1,114 people, with approximately 4,500 people still missing in both countries. Rescue efforts are ongoing as the UN works to provide food, water, and shelter for the 84,270 people affected by the disaster. Geologists and scientists have analyzed satellite data to determine that the glacier showed visible signs of instability days before the collapse. Manoochehr Shirzaei noted that while the glacier was moving at a slow pace, the rate of acceleration in the glacier-rock system was a significant indicator of the impending disaster. Jakob Steiner echoed this finding, suggesting that AI-assisted monitoring of the thousands of glaciers in High Mountain Asia is necessary for scalable disaster prediction. The floods created an estimated 2.4 million tons of debris, and the landscape remains precarious. Experts warn that the remaining glacier ice and fractured bedrock may still be unstable, posing a risk of further collapses. Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated that climate change contributed to the flooding, noting that the Himalayan region has seen temperature increases of up to 1.8 degrees Celsius.

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