Goa, Aug. 27 -- The deadly flash floods that struck Nepal on Wednesday were triggered by a powerful landslide and glacial collapse rather than an earthquake, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has clarified.

The agency initially reported seismic activity measuring 4.4 magnitude along the Nepal-China border, north of Kathmandu. However, it later clarified that the event was not an earthquake but a glacial collapse followed by a massive debris flow that caused catastrophic flooding downstream.

According to the USGS, no earthquake had occurred.

An initial analysis of Planet Labs satellite imagery indicated that a large mass of ice and rock had collapsed, sending a huge volume of debris into the Lhende River, around 20 km northeast...