NEW DELHI: A deadly flood that devastated an Indian Himalayan town this week was likely caused by a collapsing glacier, worsened by climate change, experts said.

Scores remain missing after a torrent of water and debris tore through Dharali in Uttarakhand state on Tuesday.

Videos show people fleeing before being engulfed by waves that uprooted buildings and buried others in freezing mud.

At least four deaths have been confirmed, with over 50 still missing. Officials initially blamed an intense “cloudburst,“ but experts argue heavy rains merely triggered the disaster after days of soil saturation.

P.K. Joshi, a Himalayan hazards specialist, suggested a moraine dam holding glacial meltwater collapsed, causing a flash flood.

“Given the persistent rainfall and sudden discharge, a glacial lake outburst flood or moraine dam failure is suspected,“ Joshi told AFP.

He noted unstable sediment zones upstream contributed to the flood’s destructive force. Satellite checks for debris sources remain hampered by cloud cover, leaving no definitive confirmation.

Safi Ahsan Rizvi of India’s disaster agency also cited a “glacio-fluvial debris landslide” as the likely cause. Glaciologist Sandip Tanu Mandal pointed to excessive meltwater and rainfall filling a glacial lake before its potential collapse.

Mandal noted the flood’s water volume far exceeded rainfall levels, indicating a lake breach. Himalayan glaciers, vital for two billion people, are melting rapidly due to climate change, raising disaster risks.

Permafrost thaw increases landslide threats, compounding hazards in the fragile region. Joshi warned the disaster underscores the “interconnected nature of Himalayan hazards.”

Unchecked development in floodplains worsened the damage, he added. – AFP