Kathmandu, Nepal / Beijing, China | AFP | Muser NewsDesk
The agency said seismic activity initially reported as an earthquake “was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow” that “caused subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream”.
At least 160 people were killed by torrents of water and debris that crashed downstream on either side of the Nepal-Tibet border, with hundreds reported missing in both areas.
The cause of the disaster was not immediately clear in the hours after it occurred early Wednesday, but Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal had said an earthquake likely triggered a landslide, in turn blocking a river and sending water gushing downstream.
Other theories advanced included a glacial lake flood — when a fragile debris wall holding back glacier melt collapses — or an ice avalanche.
USGS said “a magnitude 5.2 seismic event occurred near the border between Nepal and China on Aug 26 at 8:37am local time.”
“This event was initially reported as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake. Additional analysis of nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves, and satellite imagery led to the determination that the seismic event was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow, and that no earthquake had occurred.”
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Casualties, missing people and emergency response
Nepal said that 468 tourists and travellers, including 393 foreigners, remained out of contact on Thursday, 24 hours after after a deadly flood tore through the border region with Tibet.
“About 468 tourists and travelers are out of contact, among them 75 are Nepalis,” Suraj Ghimire, Department of Tourism spokesman, told AFP. At least 165 people have been confirmed killed, in both Nepal and in China, where a further 558 people are reported missing.
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Chinese authorities said three people died and 558 others were still missing after a mudslide at the border between Nepal and Tibet, state media reported Thursday, citing local officials.
“A press conference was held in Shigatse, Tibet, to report that two people have been successfully rescued from the Gyirong landslide disaster in Tibet,” Xinhua news agency said.
The disaster has “resulted in three deaths and 558 people still missing”, it added, doubling the missing person count from the 265 reported late Wednesday.
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by Agence France-Presse
Featured image credit: CEMS, EMSR927 (2026) | European Union
