Russian space agency Roscosmos has published satellite imagery showing extensive flooding along the Trishuli River in Nepal following a major natural disaster.
The pictures, shared on the state space corporation's official Telegram channel, compare the river corridor more than a month before the deluge with views taken just two days after the flooding occurred.
Roscosmos confirmed that the orbital photographs were captured by its Resurs-P satellite from an altitude of about 500 kilometres. The post included two images demonstrating the change in the valley before and after the waters burst their banks.
Roscosmos is the state corporation responsible for Russia's space program and Earth monitoring satellites. The Resurs-P series consists of high-resolution remote sensing satellites used to track land use, environmental conditions and natural emergencies across the globe.
Nepal is a landlocked Himalayan nation in South Asia where steep mountain valleys face frequent risks from heavy rainfall and glacial floods. The Trishuli River is a major Himalayan watercourse that originates in Tibet and flows south through central Nepal.
Glacier and mountain slope collapse
At the end of August, scientists investigating the cause of the catastrophic flood discovered that the event was triggered by more than a glacier collapse. Researchers found that a portion of the bedrock mountain slope on Langtang Lirung peak collapsed alongside the ice.
Scientists analyzed satellite imagery captured before and after the disaster to identify what caused the surge. Images taken the day after the collapse revealed direct damage to the bedrock mountain slope situated underneath the glacier.
The failure released millions of tons of rock and ice blocks into a narrow mountain valley, sending a destructive torrent rushing downstream.
Langtang Lirung is a prominent peak rising over 7,000 metres in the Langtang region of the Nepalese Himalayas, located north of Kathmandu. Its steep rock faces and high-altitude glaciers make the surrounding valleys vulnerable to sudden rockslides and ice avalanches.
Links to global climate change
Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated on September 2 that the natural disaster was linked to global climate change.
Climate experts have warned that rising global temperatures weaken permafrost and destabilize Himalayan slopes, increasing the risk of landslides and sudden flooding across mountain communities.
