France, Aug. 27 -- Scientists are still investigating what caused Wednesday's collapse and say it is too early to attribute this particular disaster to climate change.

But rising temperatures are already changing glaciers, glacial lakes and permafrost across the region, increasing the risk of destructive events involving ice, rock and water.

The disaster began when a huge mass of ice and rock fell from a glacier high in the Himalayas and temporarily blocked the Lhende Khola river. When the blockage gave way, water, rock and debris surged downstream, devastating communities along the Nepal-Tibet border.

The US Geological Survey initially recorded a magnitude 4.4 earthquake in the area, but later concluded that no earthquake had occurred...