India, Aug. 31 -- The devastating floods in Nepal that swept through the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli corridor were triggered by a massive ice-rock avalanche in the high Himalayas, not by conventional rainfall, according to a preliminary report by Nepalese scientists.

The report, commissioned by the Nepal Environment Society (NES), was released on Sunday.

The death toll from flash floods in Nepal rose to 903, authorities said on Monday, with bodies continuing to be recovered.

The study found that a huge mass of ice, rock and debris fell from around 5,200 metres in the Langtang-Lirung area of Rasuwa and entered the Lhende River. The surge then travelled downstream through the Bhotekoshi and into the Trishuli, generating a powerful debris-laden f...