Nine dead, search for missing after flooding in Nepal
Police said dozens of rescuers were at the area on Wednesday and more were expected to join the rescue efforts.
Nine dead bodies have been recovered from the river.
Security forces have rescued 55 people, including four Indians and a Chinese person, according to the Rasuwa District Administration Office.
Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, along with top ministers and officials, flew to the area.
Oli called an emergency meeting Tuesday night and instructed all security forces and government offices to assist the rescue and recovery efforts.
The flooding on the Bhotekoshi River early Tuesday destroyed the Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadi, which is 120km north of the capital, Kathmandu.
Several houses and trucks that were parked at the border for customs inspections also were swept away.
Hundreds of electric vehicles imported from China had been parked at the border point.
The 19 missing were 13 Nepali citizens and six Chinese nationals, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said.
The Chinese and eight of the Nepalis were workers at a Chinese-assisted construction project on the Nepali side of the border, according to the Chinese embassy in Nepal, quoted by state media.
The destruction of the bridge has halted all trade from China to Nepal through this route.
The longer alternative is for goods to be shipped from China to India and then brought overland to Nepal.
Monsoon rains that begin in June and end in September often cause severe flooding in Nepal, disrupting infrastructure and endangering lives.
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Sydney Morning Herald
8 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Inside Australia's biggest war games, Exercise Talisman Sabre
It's a sweltering morning in the top end of Australia, where thousands of military personnel have swarmed Darwin's coastline for the nation's largest war games. Members of the US Coast Guard bring reporters through Darwin's turquoise waters off Larrakeyah Barracks on a fast ride through the security zone. There's chatter about the clear differences between how Australia and the US protect their coasts. Military vessels circle the water, a heavy presence as ordinary boaties cruise through. Further along the coast, a group of soldiers has set up to practise firing. There, they wait for civilian watercraft to pass through, the boaties seemingly unperturbed by the military. For many Darwin residents, the huge influx of armed forces to the region is not a surprise. And many of the troops have been here before. But some say this year's Talisman Sabre, the 11th iteration of the training exercise comprising mainly Australian Defence Personnel and members of the US military, is different. There's a bigger focus on 'the enemy'. Questions swirl in the political bubble about potential threats to Australia. Talisman Sabre kicked off as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Albanese has vowed not to back down on security measures, such as taking back control of the Port of Darwin, controversially leased by Chinese firm Landbridge. Uneasiness hangs in the air in Darwin as journalists ask defence commanders questions regarding China surveilling the war games. The Chinese have routinely monitored military training from afar in recent years. Royal Australian Air Force Commander Louise DesJardins tells a media pack that while the ADF keeps an eye on maritime approaches, 'at the moment we're not happy to discuss the surveillance'. The ADF consistently pushes the message that the war games are not, in fact, targeted at any particular country, and are more for maintaining peace. US Brigadier-General Shannon Smith, serving with one of Australia's steadfast allies, points to the massive scope of the region and what he says are the complexities of international relationships. 'I've seen nothing but a consistent messaging from our administration and our national defence strategy that we're committed to a rule-based order across the globe,' he says. But reporters ask the troops if they feel prepared for war. Many say they are. They acknowledge what they've learned in previous exercises, sometimes serving on 'attack' teams, other times in defence. This stifling day in Darwin, Mark Hazlett, a captain in the Australian Army's reserve 31st/42nd Battalion of the Royal Queensland Regiment, is serving in the 'enemy' team. For this exercise, both the attack and defence teams are operating in a fictitious country, 'Belesia'. Strategies employed are 'open source, obviously derived from our knowledge of the operation procedures and tactics from world actors', Hazlett says. His personnel are tasked with testing the contingencies of the defence team, who represent Australia and its allies. 'That includes having a look at the vulnerabilities, and trying to exploit those as enemy combatants,' he says. Soldiers get to practise detention, handling skills, vehicle checkpoints, and other tactics with personnel from the US, Britain and Canada. For the first time, the exercises have stretched to Papua New Guinea and Christmas Island. Back home, Hazlett is a sergeant with the Queensland Police Service based outside Cairns. He's been with the QPS for more than a decade. Many of the things he's done with the army reserves, however, are difficult to explain to the civilian world – like how to stop his hands trembling when he puts a detonator into a claymore mine. 'It's a nerve-racking thing as it is. You've always got that feeling you've got to ground yourself ... that's why you hold it like a cigarette,' he says. 'But being able to then roll that back and set it off, is an incredible experience ... you're training to be a real soldier. You are a real soldier.' Taine Waerea, a private who recently joined from Queensland, says he always wanted to wear the greens. Loading After months in uniform, he remembers setting up his first claymore. 'I'm an electrician ... I don't get to be trained in such weapons systems I get to be trained in here. I don't get to blow things up,' he laughs. As members of the 31st/42nd Battalion sit near the water for a brief break, Lance Corporal Selby Anderson and his sister Private Brooke Anderson, both train drivers in Queensland, reflect on their careers. For them, military service is personal – their grandfather served in the Royal Australian Navy in Vietnam aboard multiple ships. The pair talk of army helicopters and vehicles, but also giving back to the community. All those who spoke to this masthead are confident when they say Australia is prepared for any war. 'I'll leave the politics to the politicians,' Hazlett says. 'We get a set of orders, and we plan to those orders. For this, we plan to the tactics that we know. We train and we continue to train. 'We will hopefully continue to operate in peace time.'
The Age
8 hours ago
- The Age
Inside Australia's biggest war games, Exercise Talisman Sabre
It's a sweltering morning in the top end of Australia, where thousands of military personnel have swarmed Darwin's coastline for the nation's largest war games. Members of the US Coast Guard bring reporters through Darwin's turquoise waters off Larrakeyah Barracks on a fast ride through the security zone. There's chatter about the clear differences between how Australia and the US protect their coasts. Military vessels circle the water, a heavy presence as ordinary boaties cruise through. Further along the coast, a group of soldiers has set up to practise firing. There, they wait for civilian watercraft to pass through, the boaties seemingly unperturbed by the military. For many Darwin residents, the huge influx of armed forces to the region is not a surprise. And many of the troops have been here before. But some say this year's Talisman Sabre, the 11th iteration of the training exercise comprising mainly Australian Defence Personnel and members of the US military, is different. There's a bigger focus on 'the enemy'. Questions swirl in the political bubble about potential threats to Australia. Talisman Sabre kicked off as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Albanese has vowed not to back down on security measures, such as taking back control of the Port of Darwin, controversially leased by Chinese firm Landbridge. Uneasiness hangs in the air in Darwin as journalists ask defence commanders questions regarding China surveilling the war games. The Chinese have routinely monitored military training from afar in recent years. Royal Australian Air Force Commander Louise DesJardins tells a media pack that while the ADF keeps an eye on maritime approaches, 'at the moment we're not happy to discuss the surveillance'. The ADF consistently pushes the message that the war games are not, in fact, targeted at any particular country, and are more for maintaining peace. US Brigadier-General Shannon Smith, serving with one of Australia's steadfast allies, points to the massive scope of the region and what he says are the complexities of international relationships. 'I've seen nothing but a consistent messaging from our administration and our national defence strategy that we're committed to a rule-based order across the globe,' he says. But reporters ask the troops if they feel prepared for war. Many say they are. They acknowledge what they've learned in previous exercises, sometimes serving on 'attack' teams, other times in defence. This stifling day in Darwin, Mark Hazlett, a captain in the Australian Army's reserve 31st/42nd Battalion of the Royal Queensland Regiment, is serving in the 'enemy' team. For this exercise, both the attack and defence teams are operating in a fictitious country, 'Belesia'. Strategies employed are 'open source, obviously derived from our knowledge of the operation procedures and tactics from world actors', Hazlett says. His personnel are tasked with testing the contingencies of the defence team, who represent Australia and its allies. 'That includes having a look at the vulnerabilities, and trying to exploit those as enemy combatants,' he says. Soldiers get to practise detention, handling skills, vehicle checkpoints, and other tactics with personnel from the US, Britain and Canada. For the first time, the exercises have stretched to Papua New Guinea and Christmas Island. Back home, Hazlett is a sergeant with the Queensland Police Service based outside Cairns. He's been with the QPS for more than a decade. Many of the things he's done with the army reserves, however, are difficult to explain to the civilian world – like how to stop his hands trembling when he puts a detonator into a claymore mine. 'It's a nerve-racking thing as it is. You've always got that feeling you've got to ground yourself ... that's why you hold it like a cigarette,' he says. 'But being able to then roll that back and set it off, is an incredible experience ... you're training to be a real soldier. You are a real soldier.' Taine Waerea, a private who recently joined from Queensland, says he always wanted to wear the greens. Loading After months in uniform, he remembers setting up his first claymore. 'I'm an electrician ... I don't get to be trained in such weapons systems I get to be trained in here. I don't get to blow things up,' he laughs. As members of the 31st/42nd Battalion sit near the water for a brief break, Lance Corporal Selby Anderson and his sister Private Brooke Anderson, both train drivers in Queensland, reflect on their careers. For them, military service is personal – their grandfather served in the Royal Australian Navy in Vietnam aboard multiple ships. The pair talk of army helicopters and vehicles, but also giving back to the community. All those who spoke to this masthead are confident when they say Australia is prepared for any war. 'I'll leave the politics to the politicians,' Hazlett says. 'We get a set of orders, and we plan to those orders. For this, we plan to the tactics that we know. We train and we continue to train. 'We will hopefully continue to operate in peace time.'
The Advertiser
11 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'They don't feel safe; it's scary': Hunter's Tibetan community living in fear
The Hunter's Tibetan community is living in fear after hearing that Chinese Consul General Wang Yu was inquiring about their whereabouts during a recent visit to Newcastle. Mr Yu and his delegation asked about the local members of the persecuted community during a meeting with lord mayor Ross Kerridge and at lunch with union representatives last Thursday. China does not recognise Tibet's sovereignty and considers its community members to be political separatists. Many members of the Hunter's 170-strong Tibetan community endured persecution, imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Chinese government before arriving in Australia as part of humanitarian programs. Most still have family members in Tibet. Lobsang Lungtok, who lives in Newcastle, was tortured for 18 months in a detention camp after writing a poem criticising China's one-child policy in 1995. He said the news that Mr Yu had been asking questions about the local community was extremely concerning. "I have spoken to a lot of Tibetans who are saying, 'What's going on? Why are the Chinese here? They don't feel safe; it's scary," Mr Lungtok, the former president of the Newcastle Tibetan Community, said. "A lot of them are worried about their families back home." He said he suspected the growth of the Hunter's Tibetan community in recent years was of concern to Chinese officials. "We have been growing very fast. They (the Chinese government) probably think we are going to start a guerilla movement or something," he said. "We are peaceful people who wish to live quiet lives in Australia." Mr Lungtok, 50, arrived in Australia in 2001 after fleeing to India following his release from prison. He is married with a young family. He said his community was grateful for the support of the wider community, which included having Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon and lord mayor Ross Kerridge present at their celebration of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday. However, he said the Australian government needed to be stronger in its defence of Tibet and its people. "We just saw the prime minister with the Chinese president walking on the Great Wall. He said 'this is a nice place, everyone is welcome'. Not everyone is welcome," he said. Mr Lungtok's most recent run-in with Chinese authorities was only last month when he was deported from China after attempting to visit his family. "They deported me back to Sydney Airport. If they wanted to kidnap someone it would be so easy to do it there," he said. Muswellbrook mayor Jeff Drayton said his Newcastle counterpart Ross Kerridge had no business speaking on behalf of other councils during his now-infamous meeting with the Chinese consul general. The meeting minutes show that as part of a discussion about the Hunter Region, Cr Kerridge said that one of the Hunter Joint Organisation's priorities was to transition away from coal mining. "LM (Lord Mayor) provided an overview of the JO strategy for transition out of coal in the Hunter Valley," the minutes say. Cr Drayton, said he was shocked Cr Kerridge had not consulted him before he spoke about the transition away from coal mining. "Forget how nave it is - a meet and greet with the Chinese discussing things like our region's role in defence, the local Tibetan community. When I saw in the minutes that the discussion turned to the Hunter, I couldn't believe it," Cr Drayton said. "On what planet does a Newcastle Lord Mayor offer views to China about the Hunter Joint Organisation - without a word to the other nine councils? Let alone Muswellbrook. "On what planet would he tell China the Hunter councils share a priority to, quote, 'transition out of coal mining'?" Cr Drayton said it was factually wrong to say that Muswellbrook or any other mining community had voluntarily chosen to move away from coal. "Mine closures are a commercially-driven challenge that our communities are counting on us to respond to - and believe me, we are. We have 12,000 jobs riding on it, across the Hunter, from pit to port. "To trot this out across the table from our main trading partner - even if he believes it, I'm not sure why he's felt the need to weigh in." The Hunter's Tibetan community is living in fear after hearing that Chinese Consul General Wang Yu was inquiring about their whereabouts during a recent visit to Newcastle. Mr Yu and his delegation asked about the local members of the persecuted community during a meeting with lord mayor Ross Kerridge and at lunch with union representatives last Thursday. China does not recognise Tibet's sovereignty and considers its community members to be political separatists. Many members of the Hunter's 170-strong Tibetan community endured persecution, imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Chinese government before arriving in Australia as part of humanitarian programs. Most still have family members in Tibet. Lobsang Lungtok, who lives in Newcastle, was tortured for 18 months in a detention camp after writing a poem criticising China's one-child policy in 1995. He said the news that Mr Yu had been asking questions about the local community was extremely concerning. "I have spoken to a lot of Tibetans who are saying, 'What's going on? Why are the Chinese here? They don't feel safe; it's scary," Mr Lungtok, the former president of the Newcastle Tibetan Community, said. "A lot of them are worried about their families back home." He said he suspected the growth of the Hunter's Tibetan community in recent years was of concern to Chinese officials. "We have been growing very fast. They (the Chinese government) probably think we are going to start a guerilla movement or something," he said. "We are peaceful people who wish to live quiet lives in Australia." Mr Lungtok, 50, arrived in Australia in 2001 after fleeing to India following his release from prison. He is married with a young family. He said his community was grateful for the support of the wider community, which included having Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon and lord mayor Ross Kerridge present at their celebration of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday. However, he said the Australian government needed to be stronger in its defence of Tibet and its people. "We just saw the prime minister with the Chinese president walking on the Great Wall. He said 'this is a nice place, everyone is welcome'. Not everyone is welcome," he said. Mr Lungtok's most recent run-in with Chinese authorities was only last month when he was deported from China after attempting to visit his family. "They deported me back to Sydney Airport. If they wanted to kidnap someone it would be so easy to do it there," he said. Muswellbrook mayor Jeff Drayton said his Newcastle counterpart Ross Kerridge had no business speaking on behalf of other councils during his now-infamous meeting with the Chinese consul general. The meeting minutes show that as part of a discussion about the Hunter Region, Cr Kerridge said that one of the Hunter Joint Organisation's priorities was to transition away from coal mining. "LM (Lord Mayor) provided an overview of the JO strategy for transition out of coal in the Hunter Valley," the minutes say. Cr Drayton, said he was shocked Cr Kerridge had not consulted him before he spoke about the transition away from coal mining. "Forget how nave it is - a meet and greet with the Chinese discussing things like our region's role in defence, the local Tibetan community. When I saw in the minutes that the discussion turned to the Hunter, I couldn't believe it," Cr Drayton said. "On what planet does a Newcastle Lord Mayor offer views to China about the Hunter Joint Organisation - without a word to the other nine councils? Let alone Muswellbrook. "On what planet would he tell China the Hunter councils share a priority to, quote, 'transition out of coal mining'?" Cr Drayton said it was factually wrong to say that Muswellbrook or any other mining community had voluntarily chosen to move away from coal. "Mine closures are a commercially-driven challenge that our communities are counting on us to respond to - and believe me, we are. We have 12,000 jobs riding on it, across the Hunter, from pit to port. "To trot this out across the table from our main trading partner - even if he believes it, I'm not sure why he's felt the need to weigh in." The Hunter's Tibetan community is living in fear after hearing that Chinese Consul General Wang Yu was inquiring about their whereabouts during a recent visit to Newcastle. Mr Yu and his delegation asked about the local members of the persecuted community during a meeting with lord mayor Ross Kerridge and at lunch with union representatives last Thursday. China does not recognise Tibet's sovereignty and considers its community members to be political separatists. Many members of the Hunter's 170-strong Tibetan community endured persecution, imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Chinese government before arriving in Australia as part of humanitarian programs. Most still have family members in Tibet. Lobsang Lungtok, who lives in Newcastle, was tortured for 18 months in a detention camp after writing a poem criticising China's one-child policy in 1995. He said the news that Mr Yu had been asking questions about the local community was extremely concerning. "I have spoken to a lot of Tibetans who are saying, 'What's going on? Why are the Chinese here? They don't feel safe; it's scary," Mr Lungtok, the former president of the Newcastle Tibetan Community, said. "A lot of them are worried about their families back home." He said he suspected the growth of the Hunter's Tibetan community in recent years was of concern to Chinese officials. "We have been growing very fast. They (the Chinese government) probably think we are going to start a guerilla movement or something," he said. "We are peaceful people who wish to live quiet lives in Australia." Mr Lungtok, 50, arrived in Australia in 2001 after fleeing to India following his release from prison. He is married with a young family. He said his community was grateful for the support of the wider community, which included having Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon and lord mayor Ross Kerridge present at their celebration of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday. However, he said the Australian government needed to be stronger in its defence of Tibet and its people. "We just saw the prime minister with the Chinese president walking on the Great Wall. He said 'this is a nice place, everyone is welcome'. Not everyone is welcome," he said. Mr Lungtok's most recent run-in with Chinese authorities was only last month when he was deported from China after attempting to visit his family. "They deported me back to Sydney Airport. If they wanted to kidnap someone it would be so easy to do it there," he said. Muswellbrook mayor Jeff Drayton said his Newcastle counterpart Ross Kerridge had no business speaking on behalf of other councils during his now-infamous meeting with the Chinese consul general. The meeting minutes show that as part of a discussion about the Hunter Region, Cr Kerridge said that one of the Hunter Joint Organisation's priorities was to transition away from coal mining. "LM (Lord Mayor) provided an overview of the JO strategy for transition out of coal in the Hunter Valley," the minutes say. Cr Drayton, said he was shocked Cr Kerridge had not consulted him before he spoke about the transition away from coal mining. "Forget how nave it is - a meet and greet with the Chinese discussing things like our region's role in defence, the local Tibetan community. When I saw in the minutes that the discussion turned to the Hunter, I couldn't believe it," Cr Drayton said. "On what planet does a Newcastle Lord Mayor offer views to China about the Hunter Joint Organisation - without a word to the other nine councils? Let alone Muswellbrook. "On what planet would he tell China the Hunter councils share a priority to, quote, 'transition out of coal mining'?" Cr Drayton said it was factually wrong to say that Muswellbrook or any other mining community had voluntarily chosen to move away from coal. "Mine closures are a commercially-driven challenge that our communities are counting on us to respond to - and believe me, we are. We have 12,000 jobs riding on it, across the Hunter, from pit to port. "To trot this out across the table from our main trading partner - even if he believes it, I'm not sure why he's felt the need to weigh in." The Hunter's Tibetan community is living in fear after hearing that Chinese Consul General Wang Yu was inquiring about their whereabouts during a recent visit to Newcastle. Mr Yu and his delegation asked about the local members of the persecuted community during a meeting with lord mayor Ross Kerridge and at lunch with union representatives last Thursday. China does not recognise Tibet's sovereignty and considers its community members to be political separatists. Many members of the Hunter's 170-strong Tibetan community endured persecution, imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Chinese government before arriving in Australia as part of humanitarian programs. Most still have family members in Tibet. Lobsang Lungtok, who lives in Newcastle, was tortured for 18 months in a detention camp after writing a poem criticising China's one-child policy in 1995. He said the news that Mr Yu had been asking questions about the local community was extremely concerning. "I have spoken to a lot of Tibetans who are saying, 'What's going on? Why are the Chinese here? They don't feel safe; it's scary," Mr Lungtok, the former president of the Newcastle Tibetan Community, said. "A lot of them are worried about their families back home." He said he suspected the growth of the Hunter's Tibetan community in recent years was of concern to Chinese officials. "We have been growing very fast. They (the Chinese government) probably think we are going to start a guerilla movement or something," he said. "We are peaceful people who wish to live quiet lives in Australia." Mr Lungtok, 50, arrived in Australia in 2001 after fleeing to India following his release from prison. He is married with a young family. He said his community was grateful for the support of the wider community, which included having Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon and lord mayor Ross Kerridge present at their celebration of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday. However, he said the Australian government needed to be stronger in its defence of Tibet and its people. "We just saw the prime minister with the Chinese president walking on the Great Wall. He said 'this is a nice place, everyone is welcome'. Not everyone is welcome," he said. Mr Lungtok's most recent run-in with Chinese authorities was only last month when he was deported from China after attempting to visit his family. "They deported me back to Sydney Airport. If they wanted to kidnap someone it would be so easy to do it there," he said. Muswellbrook mayor Jeff Drayton said his Newcastle counterpart Ross Kerridge had no business speaking on behalf of other councils during his now-infamous meeting with the Chinese consul general. The meeting minutes show that as part of a discussion about the Hunter Region, Cr Kerridge said that one of the Hunter Joint Organisation's priorities was to transition away from coal mining. "LM (Lord Mayor) provided an overview of the JO strategy for transition out of coal in the Hunter Valley," the minutes say. Cr Drayton, said he was shocked Cr Kerridge had not consulted him before he spoke about the transition away from coal mining. "Forget how nave it is - a meet and greet with the Chinese discussing things like our region's role in defence, the local Tibetan community. When I saw in the minutes that the discussion turned to the Hunter, I couldn't believe it," Cr Drayton said. "On what planet does a Newcastle Lord Mayor offer views to China about the Hunter Joint Organisation - without a word to the other nine councils? Let alone Muswellbrook. "On what planet would he tell China the Hunter councils share a priority to, quote, 'transition out of coal mining'?" Cr Drayton said it was factually wrong to say that Muswellbrook or any other mining community had voluntarily chosen to move away from coal. "Mine closures are a commercially-driven challenge that our communities are counting on us to respond to - and believe me, we are. We have 12,000 jobs riding on it, across the Hunter, from pit to port. "To trot this out across the table from our main trading partner - even if he believes it, I'm not sure why he's felt the need to weigh in."
