Permafrost thawing

When a mountain falls: How ice and rock triggered Nepal’s catastrophic flood – and why climate change is raising the risks

<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/756831/original/file-20260829-50-g9eot6.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.1&rect=0%2C1%2C6912%2C4608&q=45&auto=format&w=1050&h=700&fit=crop" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A massive rockfall in the Himalayas led to a surge of flood water than swept through villages, killing hundreds of people, on Aug. 26, 2026.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/an-aerial-view-shows-houses-lying-deluged-in-sludge-after-news-photo/2291667855?adppopup=true">Prabin Ranabhat/AFP via Getty Images </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The catastrophic flood that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/aug/29/nepal-tibet-floods-latest-updates-death-toll-missing-search-and-rescue">killed hundreds of people</a> in Nepal on Aug. 26, 2026, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/08/28/world/nepal-tibet-flash-floods">left many more missing</a> likely began wit