KATHMANDU: A glacier lake burst has been confirmed in the Khumbu region, triggering a massive flood in the Thame River within Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-5, Solukhumbu district, Nepal.
According to Bhokraj Karki, Ward Chairman of Thulung Dudh Koshi Rural Municipality-7, two of the five glacier lakes at Tashi Lapcha burst on Friday.
A team from the National Disaster Reduction and Management Authority, along with Defense Minister Manbir Rai, visited the affected area and released photos taken at Tashi Lapcha.
These images confirm the bursting of two glacier lakes, while two others are at high risk of bursting.
Earlier, geologists believed that the flood likely originated from the watershed area extending from the 6,938-meter-high Tengi Ragi Tau to the Tashi Lapcha region, where accelerated snowmelt caused landslides and flooding.
The flood also swept away parts of three permafrost formations on the east side of Tashi Lapcha.
Permafrost, a mix of sand and snow frozen at sub-zero temperatures for years, is common in this region.
The flood caused significant destruction, wiping out 20 houses and hotels, three schools, a hostel, and a clinic.
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