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China Prepared for One Kind of Himalayan Flood. Then a Different Disaster Struck.

After a glacial flood last year, Chinese officials strengthened defenses at a border crossing with Nepal. But last week’s “cascade of hazards” overwhelmed them.

© Cnsphoto, via Reuters

Searching for missing people along a road leading toward Gyirong Port in China on Sunday. On Wednesday a tsunami-like wave of ice, boulders and water tore through the port complex.
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Nepal Rescuers Bore Through Tunnels to Try to Reach 900 Workers Missing After Floods

The Nepal Army, which is leading rescue efforts, turned to the trapped workers more than a day after the flood, according to army officials, industry groups and private rescuers.

© via Reuters

Rescuers evacuating people from the tunnel of a hydropower project in Rasuwa, Nepal, in an image released by Nepal’s Prime Minister Secretariat on Friday.
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As Deadly Flash Flooding Batters Nepal, Some Fear ‘the Entire Himalayas Are Melting’

A glacier unleashed a deadly flood earlier this week. For local trekking guides and climbers, the mountains were already changing.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

Homes were heavily damaged and partially buried in thick mud and debris after a catastrophic flash flood in the Devighat area of Nuwakot district in Nepal on Wednesday.
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Catastrophic Flood Exposes the Risks of Nepal’s Hydropower Bet

The loss of power-generating capacity has raised questions about an ambitious expansion of renewable energy in one of the world’s most hazard-prone mountain regions.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

A catastrophic deluge of ice and debris knocked out over 12 percent of Nepal’s hydropower capacity within minutes, striking a heavy blow to the nation’s economic engine.
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Search Continues for 2,400 Missing in Nepal Floods Amid ‘Immense’ Devastation

As rescue efforts entered their fourth day, the scale of destruction came into focus, signaling a daunting recovery for the vulnerable nation.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

Damaged buildings in Devighat, a town in the Nuwakot district of Nepal that was devastated by Wednesday’s flash flood, on Friday.
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Devastating scale of Himalayan floods comes into focus as rescuers arrive

Three days after a catastrophic wall of water, mud and rock tore through Nepal's Himalayan valleys, the scale of the disaster is still coming into focus. At least 579 people are now confirmed dead, nearly 2,000 remain missing, and the danger is not over. Authorities are closely watching lakes formed in the wake of the glacier collapse, amid fears of further flooding. Stephanie Sy reports.

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Disaster Experts Say Nepal Glacier Collapse Was Difficult to Predict

Given the challenges in forecasting and detecting such calamities, researchers advised banning construction on floodplains and marking out clear evacuation routes.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

The widened channel of the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal on Thursday after the flash flooding. Most monitoring and early-warning systems for glacial hazards focus on a specific area of risk.
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Disaster Experts Say Nepal Glacier Collapse Was Difficult to Predict

Given the challenges in forecasting and detecting such calamities, researchers advised banning construction on floodplains and marking out clear evacuation routes.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

The widened channel of the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal on Thursday after the flash flooding. Most monitoring and early-warning systems for glacial hazards focus on a specific area of risk.
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Climate Change Raises Risk of Disasters Like Nepal Floods

Glaciers and permafrost in the Himalayas are melting faster as temperatures rise, though scientists are still studying the exact causes of this week’s landslide.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

Mud-laden water and debris surges through the widened channel of the Bhotekoshi River in the northern Rasuwa district of Nepal, on Thursday.
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Survivors of Nepal Flood Left in Stunned Disbelief: ‘They All Died, and I Lived’

A visit near the border with Tibet laid bare the effects of a swollen river’s furious speed. Miles of devastation were left behind in a flash flood that killed more than 300.

Residents waiting to be airlifted by helicopter in the Rasuwa district of Nepal.
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Speed of Nepal’s Flash Floods Likely Overwhelmed Warning System, Experts Say

Scientists and disaster response researchers said Nepal’s early flood warning system relied on a conventional network of river gauges in this remote region.

© Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

Damage following flash floods in Trishuli, Nepal.
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Photos: A Deadly Flood Tears Through Nepal and Tibet

An ice avalanche that started high in the Himalayas tumbled thousands of feet, releasing vast amounts of energy that pulverized the ice into a significant volume of flood water.

© Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters

An aerial view on Thursday of buildings partly submerged in muddy water along a riverside after a flash flood at Trishuli Bazaar in the Nuwakot district of Nepal.
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