Satellite images reveal scale of flood devastation in Nepal villages

A pair of satellite images compares a border crossing between Tibet and Nepal; the initial picture displays border facilities, while the subsequent one reveals the identical location submerged under mud and wreckage.

New observations from space have confirmed the extent of destruction along Nepal's Trishuli River following a lethal flash flood on Wednesday, which was set off by the collapse of a glacier.

Comparisons of before-and-after imagery illustrate how parts of the valley, through which a powerful surge of floodwater and debris traveled, led to the obliteration of villages, bridges, and hydroelectric power stations.

Nepalese officials have reported that hundreds of individuals have lost their lives, with thousands more currently unaccounted for.

Among the most severely impacted areas examined by BBC Verify was a crucial crossing point linking Nepal and Tibet, which was submerged by the rapid floodwaters and recorded visually.

The satellite pictures, sourced from the US-based intelligence firm Vantor, indicate that the site has been almost completely eradicated. Shocking surveillance footage captured the moment a deluge swept over structures as individuals attempted to escape.

Evidence of damage and mud is visible over 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) upstream, reaching an elevation of 100 meters (330 feet) above the initial impact zone.

A few kilometers further south, the settlement of Timure has largely vanished.

At this specific point, the valley walls are steep, rising approximately 50 meters above the water level. The image reveals that most of the houses situated on this incline are now either gone or covered in mud.

Approximately 10 kilometers (eight miles) further downstream, where the Trishuli River meanders through Syapru Besi, satellite images now depict the village buried under mud, rocks, and other debris. Residences and other constructions, including bridges and a hydroelectric power plant, have disappeared.

The town of Trishuli, from which some of the earliest verified footage of the disaster emerged, was one of the larger settlements to endure the full force of the flood.

A satellite view of the town and its surrounding agricultural land, situated about 45 kilometers (28 miles) downstream from the border, shows that an entire neighborhood has been essentially eradicated.

Validated videos from the town show a bridge collapsing as the river swelled. Simultaneously, ground-level footage recorded from inside a bus captures people crying out in distress and trying to escape as they observe the water rushing down the river.

Other intense videos depict individuals seeking refuge inside a house, gazing from a balcony as they witness a torrent of floodwater sweeping away nearly everything in its path, propelling large metal debris and a vehicle towards the building.

Remarkably, the house remains intact, and survivors can be seen in a second verified video standing amidst mud once the floodwaters had receded.

Imagery released today by satellite provider Planet Labs has also offered a clearer perspective on the disaster's origins at the collapsed glacier, the instant of which was captured in a verified drone video.

The satellite image illustrates that a massive section of the glacier broke off, carving out an enormous channel of rock and debris where water subsequently surged through the valley.

At the base of the landslide, trees and other vegetation have been stripped away at a height exceeding 300 meters above the riverbed.