Earth Science News
ICE WORLD
At least 10 dead, 82 missing in India glacial lake burst
At least 10 dead, 82 missing in India glacial lake burst
by AFP Staff Writers
Guwahati, India (AFP) Oct 5, 2023

The death toll from a devastating glacial lake burst that triggered a torrential flash flood in India has risen to at least 10 people, with 82 others still missing, according to officials.

Violent flooding from glacier lakes dammed by loose rock has become more frequent as global temperatures rise and ice melts, with climate scientists warning they pose an increasing danger across the wider Himalayan mountain range.

"Floodwaters have caused havoc in four districts of the state, sweeping away people, roads, bridges," Himanshu Tiwari, an Indian Army spokesman told AFP on Thursday, speaking a day after the wall of water rushed down the mountainous valley in northeast Sikkim state.

Authorities said roads had been "severely" damaged and that 14 bridges had been washed away.

"Ten bodies have been recovered so far, and 82 people are missing, including army personnel," Sikkim state chief secretary Vijay Bhushan Pathak told reporters late Wednesday.

Among the missing are 22 soldiers, the army said. One previously missing soldier was rescued.

The water surge came after intense rainfall burst the high-altitude Lhonak Lake, which sits at the base of a glacier in peaks surrounding the world's third-highest mountain, Kangchenjunga.

- 'Serious destruction' -

The wall of water powered downstream, adding to a river already swollen by monsoon rains, damaging a dam, sweeping away houses and bridges, and causing "serious destruction", the Sikkim state government said.

Damage was recorded more than 120 kilometres (75 miles) downstream, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised "all possible support" for those impacted.

Lhonak Lake shrunk by nearly two-thirds in size, an area roughly equivalent to about 150 football pitches (105 hectares), satellite photographs released by the Indian Space Research Organisation showed.

Himalayan glaciers are melting faster than ever due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) research group.

"Intense rain has led to this catastrophic situation in Sikkim where the rain has triggered a glacial lake outburst flood and damaged a dam, and caused loss of life", said Miriam Jackson, a scientist specialising in ice who monitors Himalayan regions with the Nepal-based ICIMOD.

"We observe that such extreme events increase in frequency as the climate continues to warm and takes us into unknown territory."

Earth's average surface temperature has risen nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius since preindustrial times, but high-mountain regions around the world have warmed at twice that pace, climate scientists say.

Sikkim is close to India's border with Nepal and China, and boasts a sizeable military presence.

India has been wary of China's growing military assertiveness and their 3,500-kilometre (2,200-mile) shared frontier has been a perennial source of tension, with parts of Sikkim claimed by Beijing.

Related Links
Beyond the Ice Age

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
ICE WORLD
Glacier Loss Day indicates record breaking glacier melt
Innsbruck, Austria (SPX) Sep 26, 2023
The Hintereisferner, located at the back of the Tyrolean Otztal, has been closely monitored for more than 100 years, and there have been continuous records of its mass balance since 1952. This makes it one of the best-studied glaciers in the Alps and has been key to glacier and climate research at the University of Innsbruck for decades. Since 2016, the researchers have also been surveying the glacier with a worldwide unique system: the surface of the glacier is scanned daily with a terrestrial la ... read more

ICE WORLD
Four more officials held after Libya flood disaster

'Negligent' Iraq officials sacked for wedding fire

Senegal navy intercepts more than 600 migrants in three days

Libya flood relief hampered by 'turf wars' and division

ICE WORLD
Metal-loving microbes could replace chemical processing of rare earths

Material matters

Mineral-hungry clean tech sees countries seeking to escape China's shadow

Green issues dominate Paris fashion as green tech marketplace debuts

ICE WORLD
Warming beaches threaten Yemen sea turtles' future

Climate change draws great white sharks north, threatening ecosystem

Countries pledge to raise $12 billion to help coral

New method for purifying drinking water could be used in disaster zones

ICE WORLD
Greenland's Inuit falling through thin ice of climate change

Crossing glaciers and fjords: Norwegian reindeer migrate for winter

Antarctica's glacial border migrates for miles with the tide

Glacier Loss Day indicates record breaking glacier melt

ICE WORLD
Fukushima sake brewer warms shattered Japanese fishing community

'Zero income' after storms ravage famed Greek apple harvest

We could sequester CO2 by "re-greening" arid lands, plant scientists say

Syrian beekeepers battle both war and climate change

ICE WORLD
Living in fear on Italy's Campi Flegrei volcano

Floods hit 4,000 homes in central Thailand

At least 23 Indian soldiers missing in flash flood

New York flooded by heavy rains, subway partly paralyzed

ICE WORLD
29 Niger soldiers killed by suspected jihadists: defence ministry

DRC army officer receives death sentence over protest killings

Burkina still battling insecurity one year after coup

UN Security Council cautious over faster DRCongo peacekeeper pullout

ICE WORLD
Does a brain in a dish have moral rights?

Fears for ancient Cyrene after Libya floods

Need to hunt small prey compelled humans to make better weapons and smarten up

Hong Kong's top court rules to recognise same-sex partnerships

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.