This site uses cookies, as explained in our terms of use. If you consent, please close this message and continue to use this site.
1 min Read
ICIMOD has spent the past three weeks collaborating with an international team of scientists to evaluate the hazards that contributed to Langtang Valley’s post-earthquake disaster on 25 April 2015, and are working to identify the area’s current conditions and potential future hazards.
Using eyewitness accounts and images obtained from Google Earth and helicopter, the team has drafted an initial report. The report suggests that the 25 April 2015 earthquake triggered part of a hanging glacier in the Langtang Lirung and Langtang II Mountains above the valley to become unhinged and collide into the mountain below, prompting an avalanche of snow, ice, and rock material. In addition, analysis also suggests that a destructive pressure wave accompanied the avalanche in certain parts of the valley. As a result, the valley’s eight highest villages – Thyangshyup, Tsarding, Chamki, Gumba, Langtang, Mundu, Singdum, and Kyangjing – were damaged or completely destroyed.
As aftershocks continue and the monsoon season begins, the possibility of more avalanches and landslides remains. The ICIMOD team will continue to monitor the conditions of the upper Langtang Valley as post-earthquake recovery gets underway.
Villages in Langtang Valley destroyed by landslides and pressure waves during the 25 April 2015 earthquake
Share
Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.
related contents
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) have ...
Socio-economic data collection through household surveys need huge investment in time, human resource, and cost. When one of these is ...
The overarching objective of the joint workshop was to create a platform for the ...
The Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation (Himalica) programme has been implementing a pilot project at Barshong Geog of Tsirang ...
Effective management of river basins for multiple benefits, such as the availability of water for domestic use, agriculture, and energy, ...
A three-day training for Bhutanese partners on vulnerability assessment was conducted ...
Over 50 experts and conservation practitioners from the region stressed the need for greater collaboration to overcome the socio-ecological impacts ...
A week-long training on flood outlook was organized by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Thimphu, Bhutan, ...