Kathmandu, Aug. 26 -- An ice avalanche and the subsequent formation and bursting of a debris lake may have triggered the sudden flood in the Bhotekoshi river in Rasuwa on Wednesday, officials at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said.

Binod Parajuli, chief of the department's Flood Forecasting Division, said preliminary satellite imagery received from Chinese authorities showed that debris had blocked the river about 20 kilometres upstream of the Miteri Bridge, forming a temporary lake that subsequently burst. Parajuli said they received pre- and post-event images from the Chinese authorities.

"An icefall and landslide can be seen," he said. "An ice and debris lake formed and then burst. A dam was formed."

The sudden release ...