3 min readNew DelhiAug 29, 2026 06:19 AM IST First published on: Aug 29, 2026 at 06:19 AM ISTThe flash floods that swept through parts of Nepal and Tibet this week have been attributed to a glacial collapse in the Himalayas. It sent ice and rock debris hurtling into the Lhende Khola and Bhote Koshi river system, eventually reaching inhabited valleys.Generally, a glacial collapse refers to the sudden detachment of a large mass of ice, rock and water from a glacier on a steep mountain slope. Geological factors like earthquakes, temperature changes, or other physical changes unfolding within a glacier can influence such events.