Latest news with #Rasuwa
Times of Oman
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Times of Oman
Flash flood devastates Nepal-China border; Nine dead,19 missing as rescue ops continue
Rasuwa [Nepal]: The flash flood that took place along the Nepal-China border on Tuesday has left behind a trail of devastation, disrupting lives and infrastructure and leaving at least nine people dead and 19 others missing. The flood was triggered by a sudden surge from Tibet's Lhende River that had buried vehicles under debris and swept away roads in the region. Three days after the disaster, the Rasuwagadhi-Timure region remains completely cut off from the outside world. The Nepal Army, along with local residents, is navigating dangerous slopes to access the area. Electricity, internet, and telephone services have been down since Tuesday, and the trauma of the event continues to haunt survivors. "I was trapped in the area across the river due to the flood. I had warned my friends to get across, but the flood swept them away, and I survived by going to the upper land areas that day (Tuesday)," Ram Bahadur Tharu, a survivor of the flooding along the Nepal-China border, told ANI. Ram Bahadur, one of the seven survivors from a group of 13, recounted the harrowing moments of Tuesday's flash flood. Six of his companions have been missing since that morning, with no signs of their whereabouts. Footage from the disaster site reveals the scale of destruction--collapsed infrastructure, including the Miteri Bridge that once linked Nepal and China, and container trucks and electric vehicles tossed around like toys. Over 1,100 metres of road across ten different locations have been severely damaged. Four hydropower plants have sustained extensive destruction, while local officials report that the region's dry port has been rendered inoperative. Efforts to restore access and begin recovery have been severely hampered by the inability to bring in heavy machinery. "We were not given any alert or warning about the flood. We felt as if an earthquake had struck the region as the flooding started. We rushed out from our room and saw the river increasing," Tharu added. The devastating flood along the Nepal-China border was likely caused by intense rainfall and a possible glacial lake outburst on the Chinese side, leading to a rapid rise in the Bhotekoshi River. Due to the absence of a real-time data-sharing system with China, Nepali authorities were unaware of the impending disaster until the floodwaters reached Betrawati, the border point between Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. The sudden deluge swept away vital infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and hydropower facilities, as well as numerous vehicles. Several container trucks and electric vehicles parked at the Rasuwagadhi dry port were also destroyed. Among the worst-hit was the Friendship Bridge, a crucial trade link between Nepal and Tibet, whose destruction has brought cross-border transit and trade to a standstill. Rescue operations are continuing, with teams working around the clock to evacuate those stranded in the affected areas. According to Arjun Paudel, Chief District Officer of Rasuwa, 150 individuals--including 127 foreign nationals--had been rescued by Thursday morning. "Disruption in electricity and telephone services in the area has made the rescue operation harder. There is very limited communication through the Chinese border, and along with rescue operations, efforts are underway to restore telephone connectivity and resume electricity supply," Paudel told ANI over the phone. Authorities fear that several of the missing individuals may have been swept away or buried under debris in the customs yard. Search and rescue operations are ongoing; however, progress is being hindered by impassable roads and the unavailability of heavy machinery in the disaster-hit area.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Floods sweep away 18 people and bridge linking Nepal to China
At least 18 people were swept away in Nepal as a flooded mountain river destroyed the main bridge linking the Himalayan country with China. The flooding in the Bhotekoshi river destroyed the Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadi, 120km north of the capital Kathmandu, in the early hours of Tuesday. The flood also swept away several houses as well as trucks and electric cars parked near the border for customs inspection. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, those swept away included 12 Nepalis and six Chinese nationals. China's official Xinhua news agency said 11 people also remained unaccounted for on the Chinese side of the mountainous border. The missing Chinese nationals were working at the Inland Container Depot being built about 80km north of Kathmandu, Arjun Paudel, a senior administrative official in Rasuwa district, told Reuters. "The river also swept away some containers with goods imported from China,' he said. Rescue efforts were underway as officials assessed the damage and searched for the missing people. An army helicopter was able to lift some people stranded by the flooding. Police said 95 rescuers were already in the area and more were expected to join them. The destruction of the bridge halted all trade between Nepal and China through this route. The longer alternative now is for goods to be shipped from China to India and transported overland to Nepal. Weather forecasters said the flood could have been the result of an overflowing glacial lake in Tibet since there had been no heavy rainfall in the immediate catchment area of the river in the preceding 24 hours. Nepal's weather forecasting department is working with Sentinel Asia, an international initiative that uses space-based technology to support disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region, to determine the cause of the flooding. Monsoon rains from June to September often cause severe flooding in Nepal, damaging infrastructure and endangering lives. Floods caused by monsoon rains have also wreaked havoc in India and Pakistan. At least 23 flash floods and 16 landslides caused by unusually heavy rainfall over the weekend left dozens of people missing and washed away hundreds of houses, bridges, roads and electricity pylons in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In Pakistan, at least 79 people have died in floods, landslides and house collapses since 26 June, the National Disaster Management Authority said on Tuesday. The agency issued fresh alerts for flash flooding and glacial lake outbursts in the northern and northwestern provinces of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing "a significant rise in temperatures and an upcoming weather system'.
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Floods sweep away 18 people and bridge linking Nepal to China
At least 18 people were swept away in Nepal as a flooded mountain river destroyed the main bridge linking the Himalayan country with China. The flooding in the Bhotekoshi river destroyed the Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadi, 120km north of the capital Kathmandu, in the early hours of Tuesday. The flood also swept away several houses as well as trucks and electric cars parked near the border for customs inspection. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, those swept away included 12 Nepalis and six Chinese nationals. China's official Xinhua news agency said 11 people also remained unaccounted for on the Chinese side of the mountainous border. The missing Chinese nationals were working at the Inland Container Depot being built about 80km north of Kathmandu, Arjun Paudel, a senior administrative official in Rasuwa district, told Reuters. "The river also swept away some containers with goods imported from China,' he said. Rescue efforts were underway as officials assessed the damage and searched for the missing people. An army helicopter was able to lift some people stranded by the flooding. Police said 95 rescuers were already in the area and more were expected to join them. The destruction of the bridge halted all trade between Nepal and China through this route. The longer alternative now is for goods to be shipped from China to India and transported overland to Nepal. Weather forecasters said the flood could have been the result of an overflowing glacial lake in Tibet since there had been no heavy rainfall in the immediate catchment area of the river in the preceding 24 hours. Nepal's weather forecasting department is working with Sentinel Asia, an international initiative that uses space-based technology to support disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region, to determine the cause of the flooding. Monsoon rains from June to September often cause severe flooding in Nepal, damaging infrastructure and endangering lives. Floods caused by monsoon rains have also wreaked havoc in India and Pakistan. At least 23 flash floods and 16 landslides caused by unusually heavy rainfall over the weekend left dozens of people missing and washed away hundreds of houses, bridges, roads and electricity pylons in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In Pakistan, at least 79 people have died in floods, landslides and house collapses since 26 June, the National Disaster Management Authority said on Tuesday. The agency issued fresh alerts for flash flooding and glacial lake outbursts in the northern and northwestern provinces of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing "a significant rise in temperatures and an upcoming weather system'.
New York Times
08-07-2025
- Climate
- New York Times
Deadly Flash Floods Sweep Away Nepal-China Bridge
Flash floods killed at least three people and swept away the main bridge connecting Nepal to China, officials said on Tuesday, as search and rescue efforts continued for missing people. The floods, which began early Tuesday, struck the Rasuwa district, where the Nepal-China Friendship Bridge is. Officials said their initial assessment showed extensive damage to the customs yard at the border crossing, where hundreds of vehicles and cargo containers were parked. There were also reports of power outages from damaged hydropower plants. Nepal's army and police used helicopters to rescue nine people, as the search for others continued. The police said missing people included three police personnel, nine Nepali civilians and six Chinese nationals. The police officers were swept away when they were trying to help in the rescue, according to Binod Ghimire, a spokesman for the Nepal police. He said most of the civilians from both sides were drivers who helped transport goods at the border crossing. Nepal's mountainous terrain is vulnerable to flash floods. Disasters have gotten deadlier in recent years in part because of changing climate patterns. Erratic rainfall, floods, landslides, avalanches and glacial lake outbursts are becoming more serious. Last year, 495 people died due to monsoon-related disasters, according to a government authority. The monsoon season, which begins in early June and ends in September, causes massive floods and landslides, affecting people reliant on agriculture. This year's monsoon rains have also inflicted deadly damage on the Indian side of the Himalayas. The worst situation was in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, where close to 80 people died and at least 35 were missing in incidents related to flash floods and landslides since June 20. Over the past 24 hours, at least 14 people have been killed in incidents related to heavy rains and floods across five states, a portal of the Indian home ministry showed. Mujib Mashal and Hari Kumar contributed reporting from New Delhi.
CNA
08-07-2025
- Climate
- CNA
One dead, 17 missing as Nepal flood destroys China border bridge
KATHMANDU: Floods triggered by torrential rains in Nepal on Tuesday (Jul 8) tore down a Himalayan mountain valley, sweeping away 18 people and destroying a key border bridge with China, a government official said. One person has been confirmed dead and 17 others are listed as missing in the floods on the Bhotekoshi River, said Arjun Paudel, chief district officer of Rasuwa district. The flooding destroyed the Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadi, which is 120km north of the capital, Kathmandu, in the early hours of Tuesday. It also swept away several houses and trucks that were parked at the border for customs inspections. Hundreds of electric vehicles imported from China were also parked at the border point. Eleven Nepalis and six Chinese people are among the missing, Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said. Police said 95 rescuers were already in the area and more are expected to join in rescue efforts. An army helicopter was used to lift people stranded by the flooding Deadly floods and landslides are common across South Asia during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change is making them worse. The United Nations' World Meteorological Organization said last year that increasingly intense floods and droughts are a "distress signal" of what is to come as climate change makes the planet's water cycle ever more unpredictable. The Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) warned in June that communities face heightened disaster risks this monsoon season.
