20 missing as floods wash away Nepal-China border bridge in Rasuwa

At least 20 people were missing after a river flooded by monsoon rains on Tuesday washed away the Friendship Bridge connecting Nepal with China.

The continuous monsoon rainfall in China on Monday night triggered a flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Nepal.

The Miteri Bridge in Rasuwa district, 120 km northeast of Kathmandu, was swept away by flooding at around 3:15 am on Tuesday.

Twenty people, including six Chinese nationals, have gone missing, official sources said.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), 55 people, including four Indian nationals and one Chinese, were rescued by the joint team of Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police.

Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli visited the flood-affected areas near the Nepal-China border, including parts of Rasuwa district.

He was accompanied by Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel.

Oli in a social media post said the government is working on a war-footing to rescue those affected by the devastating floods in Rasuwa.

Expressing deep sorrow over the loss of lives and property due to the floods in the Lhende Stream and Trishuli River, he said, All concerned authorities have been instructed to ensure effective rescue and relief operations.

The prime minister said he has postponed all pre-scheduled programmes, except the most essential ones, to focus on coordinating emergency relief efforts and is in constant contact with security agencies to monitor ongoing rescue operations.

There are heartbreaking reports of casualties, missing persons, and significant physical damage," Oli said.

Arjun Paudel, chief district officer of Rasuwa, said the flood caused heavy damage. Authorities have advised residents downstream to move to safer areas.

The flooding also swept away several houses and five electric vehicles imported from China.

Police recovered two bodies from the Trishuli River in Gajuri Rural Municipality of Dhading district on Tuesday morning. Their identities could not be ascertained.

The Nepal Army's rescue team has also rescued 23 labourers, including a Chinese national, who were stranded at the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower project after the area was submerged due to the flood triggered by the heavy rain. The hydropower plant was also partially damaged due to the flood, according to local authorities.

Meanwhile, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in a report released on Tuesday said excessive rainfall was not the real cause behind the flash flood in Rasuwa district.

It is too early to determine the exact cause of the flood event in Rasuwa... However, it can be confirmed that extreme rainfall was not the cause, it said.

A comprehensive investigation is required, but for that, we need to wait for monsoon cloud cover to clear first to obtain satellite imagery for detailed analysis, ICIMOD said.

A multi-disciplinary team consisting of geologists, glaciologists, hydrometeorologists and remote sensing analysts should jointly undertake a study to determine the actual cause of the flood, it said.

While a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) or a Landslide Lake Outburst Flood (LLOF) is suspected, there is no conclusive evidence yet, the ICIMOD report said.

"While it is too soon to say what caused the massive floods in Rasuwa... what we do know with absolute certainty is that global temperature rise is driving increases in the frequency, ferocity, and complexity of mountain hazards," ICIMOD Director General Pema Gyamtsho said.

"In June alone, three lake outbursts (one thermokarst lake in Tilgaun, Humla, Nepal, one GLOF in Andorab valley, Afghanistan, Chitral, Hunza, Pakistan) have torn through our region, on top of horrific floods in India and Pakistan; tragically confirming our Monsoon Outlook's predictions of a high-hazard summer, he said.