The morning of September 20, 2002, dawned as any other day in the North Ossetia area of Russia, but by the end of the day, things would definitely not be the same, and more than a hundred people would lose their lives. In June 2002, North Ossetia faced severe flooding, which, combined with an unusually early and hot summer, foreshadowed a major disaster in September. The town of Vladikavkaz lies below large glaciers, and the higher-than-average temperatures that year caused increased water runoff, proving that the glaciers were starting to melt and weaken, but the little town had no idea what further disaster was headed their way.

On the fateful afternoon of September 20, a massive 490-foot-thick chunk of the Kolka Glacier and tumbled down the mountain. The avalanche gained speed as it went, reaching nearly 100 miles per hour down the Karmadon Gorge and Koban Valley, and traveled an incredible 20 miles, leaving destruction in its wake. The village of Karmadon was completely buried under tons of ice and rocks. Rescue operations began right away and continued for weeks. Twenty-seven people were rescued alive, but recovering the remains of those who died, proved far more challenging. Even weeks later, fewer than half of the 150 missing people had been found. The main deposit settled 11 miles from the face of Dzhimarai-Khokh. The outflow of mud and debris measured 660 foot wide and 33 to 328 feet thick. Two villages along the gorge were under surveillance as flood waters backed up along the choked rivers. The avalanche finally came to rest in the village of Nizhniy Karmadon, burying most of the village in ice, snow, and debris. It was a devastating event.

On September 25, a first round of explosives intended to break up the avalanche flow was unsuccessful in reducing flood waters lapping through the village of Gornaya Saniba. The avalanche had two distinct flows. In total, the avalanche caused $20 million in damages. Had it traveled just a few miles further and hit Vladikavkaz, the death and damage toll would have been far worse. In the end, the avalanche and mudflow killed more than 120 people, including a film crew of 27 people, among them Russian actor and director Sergei Bodrov Jr.