A massive glacier collapse on the Nepal-Tibet border has triggered catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides.

On Wednesday morning, an enormous chunk of ice snapped off a high-altitude glacier, plunging over a vertical kilometer into the valley bottom.

Glaciologists report that this massive ice avalanche blocked the Lhende Khola river, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers. The temporary dam rapidly failed, releasing a towering, apocalyptic wall of water, mud, and heavy debris that violently tore through downstream mountain settlements and border facilities.