Satellite imagery and geological surveys confirm that on the morning of Aug. 26, a massive failure of the bedrock took a huge chunk of a glacier down from the Langtang Lirung peak in the Himalayas. The impact slammed into the valley floor with the energy equivalent to a 5.2 magnitude earthquake.
Rather than hitting a wide-open lake, the massive rock-and-ice avalanche crashed into the steep Lende River valley. This blocked the river temporarily before bursting out, generating an overwhelming surge of water, mud, and boulders.
The torrent tore down the Trishuli River corridor. Within just 30 minutes, the Trishuli River rose by 30 feet, washing away entire towns and thousands of unsuspecting victims.
As police in Kathmandu buried dozens of bodies in multiple trenches, Nepal's disaster agency recently reported that 1,003 deaths had been counted there, with 3,916 people missing, including 583 foreign nationals. China reported 16 deaths and 546 missing, including 261 foreigners, as of Sunday.
Edward Graham of Samaritan's Purse says it is one of the worst natural disasters he has seen.
"Just horrific images and videos coming out," he laments. "It's one of those things you have to check to make sure it wasn't AI that was something coming out of Hollywood, California."
Graham says several relief agencies were quick to respond, but Samaritan's Purse had a head start.
"We had partners from the 2015 earthquake that we continue to support," he tells AFN. "We linked up with them, and our 767 cargo plane that we based out of Greensboro, North Carolina, was loaded up over this past weekend."
It landed in Kathmandu Sept. 2 with tarps and other necessities for the survivors, and Graham expects more flights will follow.
"We know there's going to need to be water filters, hygiene kits, solar lights, blankets, water cans to carry water to other locations," he lists.
Nepal is closed to the gospel, but that has not stopped Samaritan's Purse, whose purpose is "providing disaster relief in Jesus' name" to people who want to know why God would allow terrible things to happen.
"That's why we go, to let people know they're loved, and they're not forgotten; they're not forsaken," Graham states. "We want people to know that God loves you."
