Nepal Flash Floods: As Nepal faces one of its worst crises in recent years, a dramatic video has captured the moment a Himalayan mountainside began collapsing from an altitude of more than 5,000 metres. Following the glacier collapse, rocks, ice and debris began rushing down towards the valley. The footage offers a rare glimpse of the event that triggered a deadly mudslide near Gyirong Port on the Nepal-China border.

Video Captures Glacier Collapse

The video was captured by Chinese photographer Heimu, who was climbing in the area shortly before the disaster. According to his account, the rock on the mountainside gave way first, sending dust and debris into the air. As the slope became unstable, it began affecting the glacier above. Soon, huge amounts of ice, rock and debris started moving together towards the valley.

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The footage has also been verified by Kang Shichang, director of the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He said the location of the glacier collapse shown in the video matches remote-sensing images of the region, as reported by China's Xinhua News Agency.

According to reports, the initial collapse happened at more than 5,000 metres above sea level, while Gyirong Port is around 1,800 metres above sea level. This implies that the debris travelled down a vertical drop of more than 3,000 metres, causing devastating flash floods across Nepal and Tibet. The speed and force of the collapse further explains how roads, buildings, bridges  were almost completely destroyed by the sudden floods.

Nepal Floods Death Toll

Meanwhile, the death toll from the devastating floods in Nepal has risen to over 600, while more than 2,000 people remain missing. Search and rescue operations entered their fourth day on Saturday, with rescue teams continuing efforts to locate survivors and recover bodies. Earlier in the day, China issued a fresh caution to Nepal, warning that a temporary lake formed in the upper reaches of the Lhende river system could breach its banks at any time.

ALSO READ: Nepal Floods: Soldiers Crawl Through Mud, Choppers Pluck Survivors From Rooftops | WATCH

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