Nepalese officials said on Tuesday (July 8) that a sudden flood in the Bhote Koshi River on the border between China and Nepal has destroyed the vital link between the two countries – the so-called “Friendship Bridge”, resulting in at least 8 deaths and more than twenty people missing.
Nepalese police spokesperson Binod Ghimire told Reuters that 8 bodies have been found, with identities yet to be confirmed, and 57 people have been rescued. Raja Ram Basnet, a spokesperson for the Nepalese army, stated that the search and rescue operation is still ongoing.
Although there has been no heavy rainfall in the area in the past 24 hours, meteorologists believe that the flood may have originated from a glacial lake in Tibet upstream that burst due to heavy rain, causing a sudden rise in the river water.
The Bhote Koshi River is a renowned whitewater rafting spot in Nepal. The flood destroyed the China-Nepal Friendship Bridge in Rasuwagadi, which is approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) of Nepal, there are still 20 people missing in the area, including 6 Chinese workers and 3 Nepalese police officers. Xinhua News Agency, the official media of the Chinese Communist Party, reported that 11 people are also missing in China.
Authorities stated that dozens of rescue personnel have arrived at the scene and more are expected to join the rescue efforts.
The missing Chinese workers were working at an Inland Container Depot about 80 kilometers from Kathmandu which was constructed with Chinese assistance. Arjun Paudel, a senior administrative officer in Rasuwa, said, “The flood also washed away some containers from China; the losses are severe, and we are currently assessing the specific details.”
Officials pointed out that due to the bridge collapse, border trade between the two countries has been disrupted. China has invested heavily in infrastructure development in Nepal in recent years, covering areas such as roads, hydropower, and medical facilities.
According to the Associated Press, several houses and numerous trucks waiting for customs inspection were also swept away by the flood, with hundreds of electric cars imported from China parked in the border area at the time.
In the past few days, China has been hit hard by heavy rains and flash floods, causing significant damage, and is set to face a tropical storm this week.
Neighboring Pakistan has also been hit by heavy rains and floods since June 26, with at least 79 deaths reported, including 38 children, mostly due to landslides and house collapses. Authorities have issued warnings for the northern and northwestern provinces, alerting to the rapid rise in temperatures and the potential for more flash floods and glacial lake outbursts due to a new weather system.