Ice avalanche potentially triggered 'chain of hazards' that led to disaster

Mark PoyntingClimate and science reporter It’s difficult to say exactly what has caused the flooding at this early stage, but some details are starting to emerge. “Most people think of flash floods as being caused by heavy rainfall, but in Nepal and Tibet, as in many other high-mountain regions, they can also result from complex chains of hazards,” says Prof Liz Stephens of the University of Reading. The working theory in this case is that an ice avalanche was the trigger. Large volumes of ice a