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The precise cause of the flash flood is not known but the effects of the climate crisis have made already fragile ecosystems such as the Himalayan glaciers more prone to extreme events, writes Adam Withnall

Members of Indo-Tibetan border police tend to people rescued after a Himalayan glacier incident (Reuters)

In the Himalayan valley of northern India hit by a sudden and explosive deluge of ice and water, the frantic search for survivors continues.

At least 31 bodies have now been recovered and 165 people remain missing, after disaster struck in the state of Uttarakhand where, activist Vimal Bhai told us, the construction of hydropower projects has continued for years without full checks on the ecological impact.

The precise cause of Sunday’s flash flood is not known, but we are now certain that the effects of the climate crisis have made already fragile ecosystems such as the Himalayan glaciers more prone to extreme events like this.