The 25-26 September 2026 cluster of landslides in Tanintharyi Region, Myanmar
A low pressure system triggered hundreds of landslides in the west of Myanmar in September. My calculation is that there were 12 fatal landslides killing 40 people. On 25-26 September 2026, an area of low pressure over the North Andaman Sea generated strong monsoon conditions across southern Myanmar. The system generated torrential rainfall, most notably in Tanintharyi Region, and there were reports of landslides and flooding. Relief Web has a good summary of the event. They report 25 fatalities and 11 injuries (but I don’t think this is reliable), with over 49,000 people affected. By analysing news reports, I have…
Sentinel images of the source of the 11 October 2026 landslide and debris flow along the Budhi Gandaki River in Nepal
Sentinel satellite imagery shows that the Budhi Gandaki event was another example of the failure of a steep rock slope that transitioned into a rock avalanche and then a debris flow. Almost a month ago, a less well reported but significant debris flow swept down the Budhi Gandaki river in Nepal, causing extensive damage. I described on this blog helicopter footage that seemed to show the aftermath of a rock avalanche, but noted that at that point we had no satellite imagery to clarify what had occurred. As the monsoon has drawn to a close, the skies in the area…
Landslides triggered by the 9 October 2026 Mw =7.7 earthquake in Panama
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 low population density meant that the loss of life was minimal. The ESA Sentinel 2 satellite captured a good image of the impacted area on 18 October 2026 – this can be accessed via the Sentinel Hub. This reveals a very dense area of landslides…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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About Dave
Dave Petley is the Vice-Chancellor and President of Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom. His blog provides commentary and analysis of landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.