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Rescue workers use an excavator to transport victims and survivors after buildings collapsed and roads were submerged by floods and landslides in Devghat, Nuwakot District, Nepal, on the 26th (local time). / AFP, Yonhap

A massive flash flood that struck mountainous northern Nepal on the 26th (local time) has left at least 160 dead and more than 400 missing, including foreigners.

Contrary to initial announcements, the flood was triggered when a massive glacier collapse generated seismic-like tremors, placing the area on high alert as the likelihood of secondary flooding remains extremely elevated.

According to major foreign outlets including Reuters, at least 157 people have died and more than 400 remain missing following the day's flooding.

The missing include more than 300 foreign tourists of diverse nationalities—such as Australia, the Netherlands, the U.S., and the UK—along with 105 Indian nationals.

According to the Nepalese government and Reuters, just before the flooding, a massive landslide triggered by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake in Tibet, China, is believed to have dammed the Bhote Koshi River along the Nepal-China border before bursting, causing the flash flood.

While the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initially stated that a magnitude 4.4 earthquake triggered the disaster, it revised its assessment in follow-up investigations, announcing that a magnitude 5.2 collapse of glacial ice and rock was the actual cause.

Climate experts at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu assessed that a glacial collapse or avalanche weakened by global warming likely blocked the river, exacerbating the catastrophe.

Although the Nepalese military and police deployed helicopters, search operations are facing severe hurdles as surging water levels in tributaries of the Bhote Koshi River and severed road and telecommunications networks have prevented crews from finding landing spots.

Warnings have been issued regarding compounding damage in neighboring countries and the risk of secondary floods.

This is because relentless torrential rain and storms continue to pound the region, leaving conditions unstable with river levels prone to surging again at any moment.

                                                                                                           Park Jin-sook