Was the Nepal disaster caused by a Coulomb explosion?

Abstract On August 26, 2006, a huge mass of rock and glacier broke off from the parent body at an altitude of approximately 5,200 metres and collapsed 1,200 metres downward. The resulting mudflow destroyed roads and bridges and flooded downstream coastal settlements along the Lende-Khola and Trishuli-Khola rivers, covering almost 100 km. Members of the intergovernmental organization "International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development" (ICIMOD), based in Kathmandu, concluded that the cause of the powerful mudflow was an avalanche of ice and rocks, not a breakout of water from a glacial lake. USGS staff reported that at the point with coordinates 28.271° N, 85.515° E, 55 km NW of Kodari̇, Nepal, a glacier collapse occurred, triggering an M5.2 earthquake and a powerful avalanche. At present (September 4, 2026), the actual cause of the disaster is unknown, but judging by similar catastrophic landslides that occurred in the past, as well as the scale of the material involved and the energy of this seismic event, it can be assumed that the cause of the landslide was a Coulomb explosion in the rock massif that served as the underlying layer for the glacier located on it. This article reveals the possible mechanism of the Coulomb explosion in the rocks and the cause of the landslide.