Nepal faces devastating floods: earthquake, avalanche, natural dam and glacier are being investigated
Meteored Portugal27 August 2026 at 16:18
Nepal faces devastating floods after a huge mass of water, mud, rocks and sediments violently descended through the Himalayan valleys near the border with Tibet on Wednesday. The torrent destroyed villages, bridges, roads and hydroelectric plants, with the Rasuwa district among the worst affected. Emergency teams continue search and rescue operations, while scientists investigate a possible chain of events — involving an earthquake, avalanche, natural dam and glacier — to explain the origin of such a large volume of water released in such a short time.
A nine-year-old girl was seriously injured after falling from a second-floor balcony in Caldas da Rainha, suffering serious fractures to the pelvic girdle and pelvis. The child was treated at the scene by the Emergency Medical Vehicle (VMER) from the Hospital das Caldas da Rainha.
Portuguese Alexandre Rodrigues, a member of a rescue team in Nepal, said that the probability of finding people alive decreases as more hours pass after the disaster. The firefighter also detailed the increased risks faced by teams on the ground, including the danger of new landslides, soil instability, thick mud and the risk of rupture of improvised dams formed by debris, which significantly complicates rescue operations.
The jurors at the Lindsay Clancy trial in Plymouth, Massachusetts, heard the closing arguments in the case before deciding whether the former nurse will be found criminally responsible for the death of her three children in 2023. While both sides agree that she killed the children, the defense argues that Lindsay suffered from postpartum psychosis and that poor medical care worsened her condition. The prosecution argues that the woman intentionally planned the homicides, stating that the healthcare system is not on trial. During the closing arguments, Clancy wiped tears from her face.
Forensic expert Duarte Nuno Vieira explains that the recovery of the bodies of flood victims in Nepal will be a very complex procedure and difficult to fully carry out, given the logistical and technical challenges that Nepalese authorities will face in rescue operations.
