Everest's Sherpas fear their homeland is at risk of washing away

Climate change is melting glaciers at unprecedented rates - and putting thousands in Nepal at risk.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersEverest's Sherpas fear their homes could wash awayLaxman AdhikariThame village was devastated in recent floodsSitting at an altitude of around 3,800m (12,467ft) is Thame, a small Sherpa village in Nepal's Everest region.

It is home to many record-holding Sherpa mountaineers, including Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first person to climb Mount Everest along with explorer Edmund Hillary.

But on 16 August, the village was engulfed by icy flood waters after a glacial lake burst its banks, displacing some 60 people and destroying more than a dozen houses and hotels along with a school and health clinic.

The incident has left many of the village's residents - around 300 people - wondering whether it is even safe to live there any longer.

No deaths or injuries were reported, but members of the Sherpa community said they were lucky that the flood hit during daytime, when everyone was awake and the alerts arrived quickly.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c785nwq568zo

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