Glacier collapse and ice avalanche likely fueled deadly Nepal flash flood

Scientists are rushing to understand the exact causes of the deadly flash flood that has sent a wall of mud and water tearing through Himalayan river valleys on the China-Nepal border. What’s clear so far is that a huge chunk of a glacier collapsed and that a 5.2 magnitude seismic event occurred at around 8:37 a.m. local time Wednesday, which in turn led to a catastrophic flow of debris downstream, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.