Enough satellite and drone imagery is now available to allow some initial analysis of the landslide that started the 26 August 2026 debris flow in Nepal and Tibet. Much has been written over the last ten or so days about the tragic debris flow that has caused such high levels of damage and loss of […]
landslides
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The 26 August 2026 catastrophic debris flow in Nepal and Tibet
The catastrophic debris flow that struck Nepal and Tibet today was triggered by the collapse of a glacier high in the mountains. Loyal readers will have seen the footage of the catastrophic debris flow that struck parts of Tibet and Nepal today, 26 August 2026. There is a variety of sources, of which the CCTV […]
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The 18 August 2026 gold mine landslide at the Zamboye (Zamboï) mining site in the Central African Republic
At least 107 people were killed in major failure at an artisinal mine on the border with Cameroon. In the afternoon of 18 August 2026, a large landsldie occurred at an artisinal gold mine at Zamboye (also spelt Zamboï) in the Central African Republic. The landslide was caught on videos that have been widely shared […]
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The report of the external review commissioned by Tauranga City Council into the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park landslide
The external review of the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park landslide is extremely critical of the local authority in their approach to the management of the well-documented landslide hazard and risk at the site. The external review commissioned by Tauranga City Council (TCC) into the 22 January 2026 Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park landslide released […]
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Patterns in time and space of fatal coastal cliff failures
A new analysis (Reiss et al. 2026) explores a global database of fatal coastal cliff failures, showing that these tragic events most frequently occur in the summer months when beaches are heavily populated. One significant type of fatal landslide is coastal cliff failures. Whilst I have recorded a number of these events through the years, […]
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The evolution of the Wanlixi landslide in Taiwan
Planet Labs satellite imagery highlights how the Wanlixi landslide in Taiwan evolved prior to the main failure on 21 June, and how it has continued to move subsequently. On 31 July 2026 I highlighted the valley-blocking Wanlixi landslide in Hualien County, Taiwan. The location of the landslide is 23.78859° N, 121.27236° E (for machine readable […]
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The 4 July 2026 landslide disaster at Cantzama in Ecuador
On 4 July 2026, 19 people were killed in a massive landslide in Zamora Chinchipe province, Ecuador. Planet Labs imagery shows that this was caused by a c.1 km long landslide that occurred 13 km upstream of Cantzama. This transitioned into a channelised debris flow that destroyed the community. On 4 July 2026, a massive […]
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The July 2005 rainfall-induced landslides in Yangshan (the Yang Mountains) in China
Extreme rainfall in July 2025 triggered numerous landslides and debris flows that killed over 60 people. Between 23 and 29 July 2025, the Yanshan (Yan Mountain) [41.0, 120.0] area of Hebei Province in China suffered extreme rainfall that triggered extensive flooding and landslides. As is so often the case in China, I found it difficult to […]
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Fatal landslides in July 2026
In July 2026 I recorded 48 fatal landslides causing 413 fatalities. This year continues to be atypical in terms of the temporal pattern of fatal landslides. This is my regular update for the number of fatal global landslides, focusing on July 2026. As usual, this data has been collected in line with the methodology described […]
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The 3 August 2026 landslide at the Debre Metmik Tsadkane Mariam Monastery in Ethiopia
A major landslide in the North Shewa Zone of Ethiopia has killed at least 14 pilgrims gathered at a monastery. On 3 August 2026, a significant landslide occurred at the Debre Metmik Tsadkane Mariam Monastery (often known as Tsadkane Mariam Monastery) in the North Shewa Zone of Ethiopia. There are 14 confirmed fatalities from this […]