Shocking footage from the Himalayas captures the moment a glacier partially collapses, sending a massive wall of debris surging toward lower-lying areas. The incident is linked to the catastrophic flash floods that devastated Nepal and Tibet, leaving hundreds dead and thousands missing.
Nepal: Drone footage documents the exact moment of the glacier collapse that unleashed devastation
The footage was captured by a drone and shows the collapse near the summit of Langtang Lirung, a peak rising above 7,200 meters (23,600 feet). The authenticity of videos that circulated on the Chinese platform Xiaohongshu was verified and confirmed by BBC Verify. The images show an enormous dust cloud billowing beside snow-capped peaks as vast quantities of ice and debris race toward lower elevations. Analysis of the available data indicates that the location where the collapse was recorded lies within the same corridor followed by the subsequent floodwaters, which caused widespread destruction downstream.
New aerial imagery from this morning shows the massive landslide and its extensive debris path across the mountainside. Chinese and Nepalese experts say a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal sent about 50,000 m³ of ice debris into a barrier lake.-CGTN. pic.twitter.com/apZ8b7wfYG
— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) August 28, 2026
The catastrophic flood surge — a raging torrent of water, shattered ice, and boulders — “traveled the first 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) at an average speed of 193 kilometers per hour (120 mph),” according to Jeffrey Kargel, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, a nonprofit research organization. This means the biblical-scale landslide covered nearly 14 miles in just 6 minutes and 50 seconds. Scientists are continuing their investigation to determine the precise causes that triggered this catastrophic flood event.
Chinese tourist caught on drone video the moment after the glacier collapse that would trigger the massive landslide that destroyed China-Nepal border crossing.
Original video was posted on xhs by 黑沐 pic.twitter.com/NuqTfWMFyw
— Carl Zha (@CarlZha) August 27, 2026
Nepal closely monitoring two lakes as risk of new flooding remains high
Nepal is monitoring two lakes within the flood zone where hundreds perished on Wednesday, a senior official from the country’s Disaster Management Authority confirmed. Flood risks will persist until both lakes are fully drained, the official added, as one of the two began overflowing on Friday.
Satellite images reveal the two lakes situated near the point where a glacier collapse is believed to have sent rocks, ice, mud, and debris cascading into the river systems on Wednesday, triggering flood waves that flattened homes and infrastructure. The formation of one of the two lakes had been documented in aerial photographs taken by a Chinese rescue team on Thursday. Videos from Thursday showed masses of brown water pooling in a natural basin. By Friday, water was draining from that lake, according to updated satellite imagery.
Satellite images from Landsat 9 show the effects of the catastrophic Nepal-Tibet flash flood of August 26.
[Images processed by Nahel Belgherze / WxNB_] pic.twitter.com/JIgXiwZGLu
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 27, 2026
The images also revealed a second lake that appeared to be growing in size, with a larger surface area than the first, and with no visible outlet as of Friday morning — meaning water pressure there may still be building. Nepalese authorities are relying on satellite imagery to monitor conditions, though surveillance efforts are constrained by image availability, the Nepali official noted.
Nepal death toll rises to 579, 1,924 still missing as EU pledges €2 million in emergency aid
The death toll from Wednesday’s catastrophic landslide in Nepal has climbed to 579, while 1,924 people remain missing, the National Emergency Management Authority announced today. Among the missing are hundreds of tourists and foreign pilgrims. The deadly landslide struck an area along the Nepal-Tibet border. Chinese authorities, for their part, have confirmed five deaths on their side of the border in Tibet, bringing the overall provisional death toll from the disaster to at least 584.
The European Union will provide €2 million in emergency humanitarian aid to Nepal following the mass flooding, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced today. The funds will deliver “life-saving assistance to families and communities hit hardest,” she wrote on platform X.
My heart goes our to all those affected by the devastating flash floods.
Europe is allocating €2 million in immediate humanitarian aid for Nepal.
To deliver life-saving assistance to families and communities hit hardest.
Europe stands with you.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 28, 2026
Rescue teams are today in a race against time, pressing on with operations in a desperate effort to find survivors two days after the catastrophic floods that killed more than 570 people across Nepal and China, as the threat of further flooding remains. Thousands of rescuers operating on both sides of the border have already recovered 584 bodies — 579 in Nepal and five in China — from the mud tsunami that engulfed this Himalayan border region between the two countries, according to the latest official figures.
