In April 2026 I recorded 36 fatal landslides causing 90 fatalities, the lowest monthly total for 2026 to date. This is my regular update for the number of fatal global landslides, focusing on March 2026. As usual, this data has been collected in line with the methodology described in Froude and Petley (2018) and in Petley (2012). References […]
landslides
Posted inNews
The Forensics of a Skyscraper-Sized Tsunami
A landslide in Tracy Arm Fjord in Alaska created the second-largest tsunami on record. A new analysis links this abrupt event to the retreat of a glacier and, ultimately, to climate change.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Wildfires Worsen Flood Risk
A new approach to analyzing watersheds shows how storms occurring after a wildfire can have higher flooding risk than similar storms that occurred before a fire.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 9 April 2026 landslide at Lamarain in Papua New Guinea
Ten people were killed in a large landslide in Papua New Guinea triggered by heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Cyclone Maila. On 9 April 2026, a large landslide occurred at Lamarain in the Inland Baining LLG of Gazelle District in Papua New Guinea. The landslide was triggered by heavy rainfall associated with the passage of […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Wealth and land-cover change govern landslide fatalities on world’s mountains
A new paper Fidan et al. (2026) demonstrates that wealth and the rate of land-cover change play a key role in determining the occurrence of fatal landslides in mountain areas. These factors are statistically more significant that precipitation and topography. A fascinating new paper (Fidan et al. 2026 – this paper is both open access […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Fatal landslides in March 2026
In March 2026 I recorded 61 fatal landslides causing 520 fatalities, the highest March total on record. This is my regular update for the number of fatal global landslides, focusing on March 2026. AAs usual, this data has been collected in line with the methodology described in Froude and Petley (2018) and in Petley (2012). References are listed […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
On the economic benefits of rural roads in Nepal
A new paper (Adhikari et al. 2026) in the journal Asian Development Review shows that earthen roads in the hilly areas of Nepal generate limited economic benefits but carry a high landslide cost. Loyal readers of this blog will have seen many posts that cover the problematic landslide history of low technology rural roads in […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Monitoring pre- and post-failure InSAR-derived deformation in surface mining complexes
A new paper in the International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation uses InSAR to explore the complex patterns of deformation that occur in and around large mining operations. I have frequently discussed landslides in mining operations on this site, highlighting repeatedly the unacceptable losses that result from slope failures. In many cases, these […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Fatal landslides in Nepal since 1968
Since 1968, there have been over 1,400 fatal landslides in Nepal, killing over 6,000 people. I’m currently writing a paper on the patterns of fatal landslides in Nepal since 1968. This is an update on the paper we wrote almost 20 years ago (Petley et al. 2007) that examined the changing patterns of landslides there. […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Global fatal landslides in January and February 2026
The number of fatal landslides in 2026 to the end of February was considerably above both the long term mean and the year with the highest total, 2024. To bring everything back up to date, I am providing an update on fatal landslides for both January and February 2026. As usual, this data has been […]