Two killed by landslid in Uttarakhand State, India.

Two people have been killed and three others injured in a landslide which hit a trekking route to the Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand State, India, on Wednesday 18 June 2025. The incident happened at about 11.20 am local time, when rocks fell onto the path, knocking two palanquin operators, their female passenger and two porters into a gorge. The two deceased have been identified as Nitin Kumar, 18, and Chandrashekhar, palanquin operators from the town of Doda in Jammu and Kashmir. The two porters have been taken to a health centre in Gaurikund with serious injuries, while the woman escaped with minor injuries.

Rescue workers descending into a gorge near the Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand to search for survivors, following a landslide on Wednesday 18 June 2025. Press Trust of India.

The palanquin bearers were reportedly hit while attempting to cross a debris field left by another landslide earlier in the week, in which another person was killed. Local press reports have suggested that they may have been inexperienced in the role. palanquins were formerly a common way for wealthier pilgrims to reach the Kedarnath Temple, but this has become less popular following the introduction of a helicopter service. However, this helicopter service has been suspended following a crash earlier this pilgrimage season, leading local entrepreneurs to resume palanquin services, often using inexperienced labourers as bearers.

Labourers removing debris from a path leading to the Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand following a landslide on Monday 16 June 2025.Press Trust of India.

The landslides appear to have been triggered by heavy rain associated with the annual monsoon. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall.

Monsoons are tropical sea breezes triggered by heating of the land during the warmer part of the year (summer). Both the land and sea are warmed by the Sun, but the land has a lower ability to absorb heat, radiating it back so that the air above landmasses becomes significantly warmer than that over the sea, causing the air above the land to rise and drawing in water from over the sea; since this has also been warmed it carries a high evaporated water content, and brings with it heavy rainfall. In the tropical dry season the situation is reversed, as the air over the land cools more rapidly with the seasons, leading to warmer air over the sea, and thus breezes moving from the shore to the sea (where air is rising more rapidly) and a drying of the climate. This situation is particularly intense in South Asia, due to the presence of the Himalayas. High mountain ranges tend to force winds hitting them upwards, which amplifies the South Asian Summer Monsoon, with higher winds leading to more upward air movement, thus drawing in further air from the sea.

Diagrammatic representation of wind and rainfall patterns in a tropical monsoon climate. Geosciences/University of Arizona.

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Magnitude 6.8 earthquake in southern Tibet kills at least 126 people.

The China Earthquake Networks Center recorded a Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km beneath Tingri County in southern Tibet, close to Mount Everest and the border with Tibet at about 9.05 am local time on Tuesday 7 January 2025 (about 1.05 am, GMT). The Earthquake was felt across southern Tibet, eastern Nepal, western Bhutan, northeastern India and northern Bangladesh. More than 150 aftershocks have been recorded since the original event.

The approximate location of the 7 January 2025 Tibet Earthquake. USGS.

At the time of writing rescue workers have reported 126 deaths and 188 people injured in Tibet and another five injuries in Nepal. However, the number of casualties is likely to rise significantly, as the population in the area around the epicentre of the Earthquake largely live in small, remote villages, largely cut off from the outside world, and which are subsequently difficult for rescue workers to reach. To make matters worse, daytime temperatures in the area average -8°C at this time of year, falling to -18°C at night. More than a thousand homes have been damaged or destroyed in areas that rescue workers have managed to reach, so is likely that in other areas people may have lost  their homes or be trapped beneath debris, vulnerable to the cold.

Rescue workers in Tingri County, Tibet, following a Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake on Tuesday 7 January 2024. Xinhua/AP.

Earthquake activity in the area is caused by the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, due to the impact of India into Eurasia to the south. he Indian Plate is moving northwards at a rate of 5 cm per year, causing it to impact into Eurasia, which is also moving northward, but only at a rate of 2 cm per year. The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates has led to the formation of the Himalayan Mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, and the mountains of southwest China, Central Asia and the Hindu Kush.

Block diagram showing how the impact of the Indian Plate into Eurasia is causing uplift on the Tibetan Plateau. Jayne Doucette/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Much of Tibet and neighbouring areas of Central Asia and the Himalayas, are prone to Earthquakes caused by the impact of the Indian Plate into Eurasia from the south. When two tectonic plates collide in this way and one or both are oceanic then one will be subducted beneath the other (if one of the plates is continental then the other will be subducted), but if both plates are continental then subduction will not fully occur, but instead the plates will crumple, leading to folding and uplift (and quite a lot of Earthquakes). The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates has lead to the formation of the Himalayan Mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, and the mountains of southwest China, Central Asia and the Hindu Kush.

The movement of India into Eurasia over the last 71 million years. USGS.

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At least 148 dead amid flooding and landslides in Nepal.

At least 148 people have died and more than fifty are still missing in a series of flood and landslide events which hit Nepal driven by heavy rains which have fallen across the country since Friday 27 September 2024. The worst of the flooding has occurred in the densely populated Kathmandu Valley in the central part of the country, where 322 mm of rain fell within 24 hours between Friday and Saturday mornings, the largest amount of rain ever recorded within 24 hours in Nepal.

Flooding on the Bagmati River in Kathmandu on Saturday 28 September 2024. Anadolu Ajansi/Getty Images.

Thirty four people are known have died in Kathmandu, and at least 35 more in a series of landslides on the Prithvi Highway, outside the city, which buried two busses and several other vehicles. In the city Bhaktapur, 15 km to the east of Kathmandu, five people, including a pregnant woman and a four-year-old girl died when a house collapsed, and six people died when a landslide hit the All Nepal Football Association's training centre in Makwanpur. 

Flooding in Lalitpur, to the south of Kathmandu, on 28 September 2024. Gopen Rai/Nepal Times.

The annual monsoon in Nepal claims a large number of lives each year, with at least 170 known to have died this year between the onset of the monsoon season in June and the onset of Friday's rains. However, this rainfall typically ends towards the middle of September. This year's extended monsoon is thought to have been caused by a low pressure system over India, in turn caused by this year's exceptionally high global temperatures. Late rains such as these bring with them additional problems, as by September the ground in lowlying areas of Nepal is often waterlogged, and the waters rivers and lakes high, if not actually overflowing. This means that even if the rains stop soon, their effects are likely to be felt for some time yet, with the waters in the Koshi River recorded as running at a rate of over 12 700  cubic metres per second, compared to a seasonal average of 4200 cubic metres per second. Such high flow rates on the Koshi River almost invariably lead to significant flood events in Bihar State, India.

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Photographic evidence for the presence of Snow Leopards in the Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Snow Leopards, Panthera uncia, are the least well understood of the Big Cats, due to their secretive habits and the remote and inhospitable environments in which they live. The species is currently considered to be Vulnerable under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, although our poor understanding of the species numbers and distribution makes this largely a guess. There thought to be about 400-700 Snow Leopards in India (about 2% of the global population), inhabiting the sub-alpine, alpine and trans-Himalayan regions of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Within Kashmir, Snow Leopards are known from Gurez and Sonamarg, the upper Baltal-Zojila region, the Kargil Range, and the areas adjacent to the north-eastern and south-eastern boundary of Kishtwar that connect with the Zanskar range in the Union Territory of Ladakh. In other parts of Kashmir, including many protected areas, the presence of Snow Leopards is uncertain.

In a paper published in the journal Oryx on 9 May 2024, Oyndrila Sanyal of the Wildlife Biology Laboratory at the University of Kashmir, Tawqir Bashir, also of the Wildlife Biology Laboratory at the University of Kashmir, and of the Division of Wildlife Sciences at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, and Monaj Rana and Pankaj Chandan of the Nature, Wildlife and Climate Change Division of the National Development Foundation, present the results of camara-trap survey for Snow Leopards carried out in the Kishtwar High Altitude National Park in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Kishtwar High Altitude National Park covers an area of 2191 km², at altitudes ranging from 1800 m and 6000 m, between the Chenab River and the Nagin Sheer Glacier. The park borders Ladakh to the northeast and Himachal Pradesh to the south. Most areas in the park above an altitude of about 4300 m are essentially inaccessible, due to the rugged nature of the terrain and the hostile climate. The wide range of altitudes in the park, combined with similar variations in slope and moisture availability, lead to the presence of a wide range of vegetation types. The park supports thousands of nomadic herders, and is home to a number of temples, which draw large numbers of pilgrims. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Snow Leopards may be present in the Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, with claims of a possible sighting as well as several reports of tracks, although none of these has been photographed or confirmed by scientists.

Sanyal et al. divided the Kishtwar High Altitude National Park into a grid of 5 km x 5 km cells. Camera-traps were placed at 57 locations in 18 cells for a year, between May 2022 and June 2023. Up to four cameras were placed in a single cell, concentrating on natural trails, trail junctions, ridge lines and other locations likely to be used by Carnivores. Cameras were checked once a month (except in winter) to ensure they were working, and replace their memory cards. All of the camera-traps were placed in the southern, south-western and central areas of the park; the northern, north-eastern, eastern and south-eastern regions being above 4500 m and largely covered by glaciers.

The study area, showing the location of camera-trap stations and the new Snow Leopard, Panthera uncia, occurrence records in Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India, and three earlier records in the adjacent landscape. Sanyal et al. (2024).

At 11.03 pm local time on 19 September 2022, a camera-trap located Kiyar catchment of the Dacchan range at 3280 m above sealevel captured an image of two Snow Leopards. This was the first photographic evidence ever obtained for the species being present in the Kishtwar High Altitude National Park. During the remainder of the survey, seven further images were obtained in three other grid squares, in the Kiyar and Nanth catchments of the Dacchan Range and the Renai catchment of the Marwah Range. Of the eight images captured, four were taken at night and four in the day. Based upon their patterns (which are unique to individual Leopards), at least four different members of the species were observed. All of the images were taken at altitudes of between 3004 m and 3878 m, in an arid alpine region above the treelike, with a steep and rugged terrain flanked by high-altitude pastures of Junipers, Grasses and Legumes on rolling hills.

Camera-trap photographic records of the Snow Leopard, Panthera uncia, in Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India; (a) is the first camera-trap record, on 19 September 2022, with two individuals. Sanyal et al.  (2024).

Sanyal et al. also recorded the presence of Siberian Ibex and Himalayan Musk Deer in the same areas are the Snow Leopards, as well as Long-tailed Marmots, and Pika, all of which could serve as potential prey species. The most frequently recorded of these species was the Siberian Ibex. A number of other Carnivore species were also recorded, including Himalayan Brown Bear, Asian Black Bear, Red Fox, Leopard Cat, Yellow-throated Marten, and Mountain Weasel. The Red Fox was the overall most frequently imaged Animal in the study, but this is probably because the cameras were positioned to detect Carnivores; it is not suggested that Carnivores are more common than prey Animals.

Sanyal et al. note that the area is under considerable pressure from Human activities, with about 3000 herders regularly visiting the alpine pastures in the Marwah Range, bringing with them about 150 000 head of livestock. This many domestic Animals presents a threat to the prey species relied on by the Snow Leopards, and therefore the Leopards themselves. This could potentially lead to Human-Leopard conflict if the Leopards respond to a shortage of prey by targeting livestock, or to the Leopards being excluded from pasturelands and forced to depend on less optimal environments. The camara-trap evidence suggests that both the Leopards and their prey species tend to avoid livestock grazing areas during summer (May-August) which could mean that anthropogenic pressures are already affecting them. 

The Kishtwar High Altitude National Park is clearly a habitat utilised by Snow Leopards, potentially providing a bridge between three other important Snow Leopard habitats, the greater Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir, the trans-Himalayas of Ladakh,  and the lesser Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh. This implies that the park is important to Snow Leopard conservation efforts in India, and globally. To this end, Sanyal et al. recommend a more comprehensive study of Snow Leopards in the Kishtwar High Altitude National Park is carried out, including areas such as the Paddar and Wadwan valleys, which were missed in their study.

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Zygosporium himachalensis: A fossil Ascomycote Fungus from the Miocene of Himachal Pradesh, India.

The genus Zygosporium contains asexual, largely saprotrophic, Ascomycete Fungi distinguished by dark brown setiform conidiophores (bristle-shaped spore producing bodies) with darkly pigmented, incurved, and swollen vesicles, often stacked, emerging either from the side of the conidiophore or from the mycelium (network of fungal threads).There are 22 described living species within the group, as well as three known fossil species, two from the Siwalik sediments of the eastern Himalayas, and one from the Oligocene of Hungary.

In a paper published in the journal Fungal Biology on 12 March 2023, Sampa Kundu and Mahasin Ali Khan of the Palaeobotany and Palynology Laboratory at the Department of Botany at Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, describe a new species of Zygosporium from the Late Miocene Middle Siwalik of Himachal Pradesh, in the western Himalayas.

The new species is named Zygosporium himachalensis, where 'himachalensis' means 'from Himachal'. It is based upon a series of specimens found growing on a compressed Monocot leaf recovered from a grey mudstone in the Middle Siwalik in Mandi District of Himachal Pradesh. This location is about 8-10 km from, and probably coeval with Nalad Khad Section, which has been dated to 12-8 million years before the present.

(A) A compressed Monocot leaf segment; (B) Light microscopic image of Zygosporium himachalensis (SKBUH/PPL/HP/M40/S2) showing superficial or partly immersed hyphae with vesicular conidiophores in small or large groups or scattered on fossil Monocot leaf cuticle (SKBUH/PPL/HP/M40); (C), (D), (E), (G). Zygosporium himachalensis showing stacked chained vesicular cells on straight erect unbranched conidiophores; vesicular cells arising from apical, sub-apical, and lateral sides of the conidiophores (vesicular cells marked by blue arrows); (F) Zygosporium himachalensis showing stacked chained vesicular cells on a branched conidiophore (branching point marked by a black arrow; vesicular cells marked by blue arrows). Kundu & Khan (2024).

Specimens of Zygosporium himachalensis have erect, usually unbranched conidiophores, with chains of up to 4 integrated alternatively or suboppositely arranged vesicles arising directly from the mycelium. These are arranged in effuse or sometimes compact irregular-shaped patches on the surface of the leaf.

(A)–(L) Light microscopic images of Zygosporium himachalensis showing septate superficial conidiophore (marked by white arrows) with alternately (marked by blue arrows) and sub-oppositely (marked by green arrow) arranged dark brown to black, swollen, incurved, thick-walled vesicular cells (marked by red arrows); some vesicular cells with a cylindrical, brown, thick-walled, smooth, short stalk cell (marked by black arrows). Kunda & Khan (2024).

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