Climate change was key factor in deadly Nepal-China flood, scientists say

Climate change played a significant role in last month's deadly Himalayan disaster in Nepal, thinning glaciers and thawing mountain permafrost in ways that likely destabilised the slope before it collapsed, a report released Thursday by the World Weather Attribution group said. The collapse, near Nepal's border with China on 26 August, triggered a torrent of water, ice, boulders and sediment that swept through communities along the Trishuli River corridor, killing more than 1,300 people and leaving over 5,000 missing. "This disaster was not an extreme weather event, but the fingerprints of climate change are still clear to see in long-term changes," said Ben Clarke, a climate researcher at Imperial College London who contributed to the report.