Nepali scientists locate time, place and speed of ice avalanche behind Bhotekoshi flood

Nepali experts have determined where, when and at what speed the ice avalanche that brought the Bhotekoshi flood on Bhadau 10 fell. The study was led by seismologists Lokvijay Adhikari and Shiva Subedi, with Nepali and foreign scientists involved. Adhikari and Subedi are seismologists working at the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre.

The study's findings have been published in the international scientific journal Seismica. According to the study, the ice avalanche fell at 8:37:16 am that day. The conclusion was drawn by analysing high-frequency waves recorded by about 45 seismometers installed in Nepal and China.

Almost 17 minutes before the avalanche, an earthquake of about magnitude 2.5 occurred in the same area.

The study shows that the flood after the avalanche flowed at very high speed because of the large difference in the height of the terrain. According to the study, in the first roughly 25 kilometres, the flood's speed reached nearly 163 kilometres per hour.