On Wednesday, Aug. 26, a huge block of ice broke off a glacier in the Himalayan Mountains and fell 3,900 feet to the valley floor on the border of Nepal and Tibet. The glacial avalanche was so massive that it registered as a 5.2-magnitude earthquake on seismographs.
This caused an extremely powerful deluge of mud, rocks and water in the Lhende Khola river valley, submerging entire communities and public projects, killing at least 800 people, with more than 3,000 people still missing. Communities on both sides of the border were affected, as were hundreds of foreign nationals traveling in the area on religious pilgrimages. Bridges were destroyed, and about 25 miles of roads were damaged, making rescue efforts difficult. Officials are still assessing the damage.
Photo: Nepal and India separated by Mahakali River with suspension bridge in Darchula Village, November 21, 2025. (Photo by Sushanta Rokka on Unsplash)
