In the cold, high valleys of northern Bhutan, a glacier-fed lake at Shintaphu broke through its banks late one night and sent water roaring down toward the Gasa Tshachu hot springs, a place people have long traveled to for warmth and healing. The flood carried away structures and cut the road to Laya village, but because residents had been moved out of harm's way beforehand, no lives were reported lost. It is a quiet reminder that in mountain lands shaped by melting ice, the water that feeds life can also reclaim what has been built, and that the full measure of the loss will only become clear
Glacial Lake Burst Sweeps Away Infrastructure at Bhutan's Gasa Tshachu Hot Springs, No Injuries Reported
The area had been evacuated before the floodwater arrived.
Mark
Start with what actually happened. A glacial lake burst?
Mimi
Shintaphu glacial lake broke its banks late at night, and the flood hit the Gasa Tshachu hot springs area in northern Bhutan. Infrastructure was washed away.
Mark
And people?
Mimi
No injuries or deaths reported, per state broadcaster BBS. Kuensel says the area was evacuated before the water arrived.
Luke
Worth noting that is a statement about what has been reported so far, not a confirmed all-clear. Damage assessment hasn't really begun.
Mark
What do we know about the damage?
Mimi
Part of the road to Laya village is gone and closed indefinitely, per Kuensel. BBS says two bailey bridges may have been swept away.
Luke
Note the word may. BBS itself said the extent was unknown because of darkness and strong flow. The bridges are unconfirmed.
Mark
This site has been flooded before, hasn't it?
Mimi
In 2021 the Mochhu River changed course and swept through. So it's a repeat, though a different trigger.
Luke
The Nepal figure, more than 1,500 dead and 5,000 missing in August, is context for the region, not evidence about Bhutan's cause or risk. The reports don't link the two events or say why Shintaphu burst.
O Pulso
- A glacial lake at Shintaphu burst its banks and surged through the Gasa Tshachu hot springs area in the dead of night.
- Two portable bailey bridges may have been swept away, and part of the road to Laya village has vanished beneath the flow.
- Residents were evacuated before the water arrived, so no injuries or deaths have been reported.
- Darkness and the raging current have kept officials from measuring the damage, and the road is closed indefinitely.
- The site was struck by a flash flood in 2021 too, raising hard questions about how exposed the springs are to glacial hazards.
In the cold, high valleys of northern Bhutan, a glacier-fed lake at Shintaphu broke through its banks late one night and sent water roaring down toward the Gasa Tshachu hot springs, a place people have long traveled to for warmth and healing. The flood carried away structures and cut the road to Laya village, but because residents had been moved out of harm's way beforehand, no lives were reported lost. It is a quiet reminder that in mountain lands shaped by melting ice, the water that feeds life can also reclaim what has been built, and that the full measure of the loss will only become clear once the waters settle and daylight returns.
A flood born from the Shintaphu glacial lake broke loose late on a Thursday night and tore through the Gasa Tshachu natural hot springs in northern Bhutan. The springs draw visitors from across the country, and the valley they sit in is one of the places where the country's high, remote landscape meets the rhythms of ice and water.
The state broadcaster BBS reported that no injuries or deaths had occurred. The reason is simple and reassuring: the area was emptied of people before the floodwater came. But the damage itself remains hidden. Because the night was dark and the current so powerful, no one could yet tell how much had been lost. BBS said two bailey bridges, the portable steel crossings assembled from prefabricated sections, may have been swept away.
Kuensel, the national newspaper, reported that a stretch of the road to Laya village, where the springs lie, had been carried off. The road is closed to traffic until further notice, which leaves the village and the springs cut off for now.
The site has been here before. In 2021, the Mochhu River shifted its course and swept through the same ground. This time the outcome for people has been far gentler, and the difference lies in the warning and the evacuation. Still, the questions the flood raises are unfinished: how much is gone, how long the road will stay closed, and how the valley can live with the glacial waters above it.
A flood set off by the Shintaphu glacial lake breaking through its banks has swept away infrastructure at the Gasa Tshachu natural hot springs in northern Bhutan, according to media reports on Friday, October 30. The flash flood struck late at night.
Bhutan's state broadcaster BBS said no injuries or deaths have been reported. The hot springs are a major tourist attraction in the northern part of the country, which lies between India and China.
How much was destroyed is still not clear. BBS said the extent of the damage could not be established because of darkness and the strong flow of the floodwaters. The broadcaster reported that two bailey bridges, which are portable bridges assembled from pre-fabricated sections, may have been washed away.
Kuensel, Bhutan's national newspaper, reported that part of the road to Laya village, where the springs are located, was swept away and can no longer be used. The road has been closed to traffic indefinitely. Kuensel also reported that the area had been evacuated before the floodwater arrived, which likely explains why no casualties have been reported so far.
This is not the first time water has torn through the site. Gasa Tshachu was hit by a flash flood in 2021, when the Mochhu River changed course and swept through the area.
The event sits against a much heavier regional backdrop. In neighbouring Nepal, in comparable mountainous terrain about 600 km (370 miles) to the west, a flash flood on the border with China in August killed more than 1,500 people and left more than 5,000 missing. Bhutan's flood, by contrast, has so far brought no reported harm to people.
What remains to be learned is the scale of the loss: whether the two bridges are gone, how much of the Laya road is damaged, and how long access to the springs and the village will be cut. Those answers depend on assessments that could not be made in the dark and at the height of the flow.
Citações Notáveis
No injuries or loss of life have been reported.— BBS, Bhutan's state broadcaster
The area had been evacuated before the flood reached it.— Kuensel, Bhutan's national newspaper
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Climate & Environment