India, Sept. 3 -- On August 26, 2026, an ice-and-rock avalanche tore down the Himalayas near Mount Langtang Lirung, along the Nepal-Tibet border. At about 10:50 a.m., a massive section of bedrock and glacier ice collapsed from 5,200 metres, hurtling downhill at an estimated 167 km/h. It slammed into the Lendey Khola (also Lhende or Lende), a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, temporarily damming the river before the barrier burst. In just seven minutes, the debris surge travelled 22 kilometres, unleashing a wall of mud, rock and water through the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli corridor. Villages, roads, bridges and the Gyirong border checkpoint were destroyed. It has claimed over 1,000 lives and thousands are still missing.

What led to this has not been ...