ESA Sentinel satellite images show that hundreds of landslides were triggered by the earthquake earlier this month. On 9 October 2026, a Mw 7.7 earthquake struck the Azuero Peninsula in Panama (epicentre at [7.587, -80.769]. This shallow (depth = 12.6 km) had the potential to trigger landslides in an area that has significant relief. Fortunately, the […]
Dave Petley
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The Aberfan Disaster: a simple guide to what happened
To mark the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, I have reposted my (now unavailable) blog posts from a decade ago describing the tragedy. Tomorrow is the 60th anniversary of the terrible and tragic Aberfan landslide disaster in South Wales. Ten years ago I published a four part summary of what happened on that terrible […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Landslides in an El Niño year
The 2026-27 El Niño has reached record levels. However, evidence suggests that the impacts on landslides may differ from the popular narrative. Earlier this week, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology provided an update on the development of the 2026-27 El Niño event. The headline is stark:- “El Niño is at near-record levels. Both oceanic and […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 11 October 2026 landslide and debris flow/flood on the Budhi Gandaki River in Gorkha district, Nepal
Information is emerging about this major event in Nepal. Helicopter video suggests that it was initiated by a very dynamic landslide – possibly a rock avalanche? On 11 October 2026, yet another major debris flow/flood occurred in Nepal, sweeping down the Budhi Gandaki River in Gorkha district. This has caused substantial damage, although not on […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 25 January 2026 landslide at Niscemi in Sicily, Italy
On 25 January 2026, a very large landslide reactivated at Niscemi in Sicily, Italy. A new paper in the journal Landslides (Guerriero et al. 2026) describes the event. On 25 January 2026, a large landslide reactivated at Niscemi in SE Sicily, Italy. The landslide attracted a great deal of media attention. About 1,500 people were […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Landslides triggered by the 29 July to 1 August 2023 rainfall event associated with Typhoon Doksuri in northern China
A new paper (Xie et al. 2026) provides a detailed analysis of the landslides triggered by Typhoon Doksuri in northern China in 2023. Between 29 July and 1 August 2023, the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri triggered large numbers of landslides in northern China, most notably in the Taihang Mountains in Beijing, Hebei and Shanxi. Shortly […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 31 August 2026 rainfall-triggered landslides in Rason City, North Korea
Satellite images have started to reveal the hundreds of shallow landslides and channelised debris flows triggered by a major rainfall event in North Korea at the end of August 2026. Although North Korea is landslide-prone, there is a paucity of information about the impacts and losses that occur there. Interestingly, NK Pro reported last month […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
High resolution Pléiades Satellite imagery of the 26 August 2026 Langtang Lirung landslide in Nepal
Simon Gascoin has posted some high resolution satellite imagery of the source of the dreadful landslide disaster in Nepal. On the CESBIO Multitemp blog, Simon Gascoin has posted high resolution CNES Pléiades satellite imagery of the source area of the 26 August 2026 Langtang Lirung landslide in Nepal. This is the first high resolution imagery […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Precursory indications of movement for the 26 August 2026 Langtang Lirung landslide in Nepal
Examination of Planet Labs satellite imagery before the collapse of the slope suggests that there were surprisingly few signs of incipient failure. The catastrophic landslide – debris flow – flood that swept through Tibet and Nepal on 26 August originated with very large rock slope failure on the flanks of Langtang Lirung, a massif located […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 6 August 2025 fatal Dayuan landslide in Guangzhou, China
On 6 August 2025, the Dayuan landslide in Guangzhou, China killed 7 people. It was triggered by rainfall onto an area affected by a wildfire. In recent decades, China has built substantial capacity for investigating landslides. One result of this is that most significant landslides there are now analysed with the results published. This is […]