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The article discusses the warning of geomorphologist Robert Kenner about the possibility of destructive landslides in Europe, similar to the disaster in Nepal on August 26, caused by the collapse of mountain-ice masses after an earthquake and leading to the death of more than 1.3 thousand people.
Geomorphologist Robert Kenner from the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape (WSL) warned that a devastating landslide like the one in Nepal could happen in Europe.
The flood in Nepal on August 26 was caused by the collapse of mountain-ice masses after an earthquake and landslide, the death toll exceeded 1.3 thousand.
MOSCOW, September 14 - RIA Novosti. A destructive landslide similar to what happened in Nepal could happen in Europe, Robert Kenner, a geomorphologist from the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape (WSL), told RIA Novosti.
Floods hit northern Nepal on the morning of August 26 after a powerful torrent of water from the Chinese side rushed into the Bhote Koshi River. The flood occurred after the earthquake and the resulting landslide. The death toll exceeded 1.3 thousand.
“In principle, such cascade processes can also occur in Europe,” he told the agency.
As Kenner explained, the flood was caused by the collapse of mountain-ice masses, which can occur in any area with glaciated mountain slopes. Examples of such events include the 2017 Pizzo Cengallo landslide and the 2025 Birch Glacier collapse in Switzerland, and the 2024 Piz Cherchen landslide near the Italian-Swiss border. Similar natural disasters have happened in Russia, for example, in 2002, the Kolka glacier collapsed in the Karmadon Gorge in North Ossetia, Kenner said.
The scientist noted that few of these collapses can lead to such devastating consequences as in Nepal. To do this, there must be a lot of water in the area where the rock and ice melt, for example, from lakes or rivers.
"The frictional heat generated by the movement of the rockfall also causes the snow and ice to melt, which can create additional volumes of water. However, the exact conditions under which the rockfall and ice liquefy are not yet well understood," the scientist said.
At the same time, Kenner noted that such events cannot always be predicted.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
A destructive landslide similar to the one in Nepal could occur in Europe if there is sufficient water in the area where the mountain-ice masses melt.
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