Avalanche in Tibet Confirmed as 21 Trillion Cubic Foot “Glacier Slide”

The avalanche has now been confirmed as a glacier slide.

A 2000-foot rescue passage was completed on Wednesday morning.  No signs of life have yet been detected.

Rescuers have excavated over 1,600,00-cubic-feet of ice and snow in their search.

“Rescue work is continuing, while the cause of the ice avalanche is being investigated to avoid secondary disasters.” – Zhang Jianping, a police officer directing the rescue

Aerial images show that the icefall took place between glacier on two 20,000-foot peaks.  

The volume of ice that fell is estimated to be around 21 trillion cubic feet.

12 households in the region have been evacuated during the rescue effort.

Experts believe the icefall is due to global warming, which has caused the glaciers of Tibet to crack and fall.

Experts warn that more icefalls will occur in the near future.

UAV aerial images show that the icefall took place between glaciers on two snow-capped mountains at an altitude above 6,000 meters. The volume of the icefall was estimated at 600 million cubic meters, enough to fill a large reservoir.

Experts believed that the icefall is a result of global warming, which has caused melting and cracking of the glaciers.

They warned that more icefall and avalanches are likely to occur in the plateau region. A dozen households have been evacuated while rescue work continues.