On 19 July 2025, intense, long duration rainfall triggered over 550 landslides in Sancheong, South Korea, killing at least 10 people. On 19 July 2025, extremely heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides in Sancheong, South Korea. This event has been described by a new paper (Nguyen et al. 2026) just published in the journal Landslides. The […]
landslides
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Landslides are New Zealand’s most expensive natural hazard, and the costs are rising quickly
New evidence from the Natural Hazards Commission – Toka Tū Ake (NHC) shows that landslides are now New Zealand’s most costly natural hazard. New Zealand is a country that is prone to a range of natural hazards. Located on a series of major fault systems, earthquakes cause high levels of loss. The country is also […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Fatal landslides in April 2026
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 April 2026. As usual, this data has been collected in line with the methodology described in Froude and Petley (2018) and in Petley (2012). References […]
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 […]