Dozens Unaccounted for Following Floods at Nepal-China Border

• Experts suggest the flooding may stem from an overflowing glacial lake in Tibet.
• In Nepal, those reported missing include six Chinese workers and three police officers.
• Torrential rainfall has destroyed the “Friendship Bridge,” which connects China and Nepal.

KATHMANDU: Over two dozen individuals are unaccounted for following heavy rainfall in Tibet, China, which caused a surge in the Bhote Koshi River, resulting in the collapse of the “Friendship Bridge” connecting China and Nepal, officials reported on Tuesday.

Weather specialists indicated that the flooding might have originated from an overflowing glacial lake in Tibet, as there wasn’t any significant rainfall in the river’s immediate catchment area within the last 24 hours.

A total of 18 people are missing in Nepal, while the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported that 11 individuals are untraceable on the Chinese side of the border.

The individuals missing in Nepal include six Chinese construction workers and three police officers, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) via X.

The agency also noted that eight electric vehicles were swept away and a small hydroelectric facility suffered damage due to the floods.

Officials stated that trade activities between Nepal and China have been hindered as a result of the bridge’s destruction.

The missing Chinese nationals were employed at an Inland Container Depot under construction with Chinese support, located around 80 km north of Kathmandu, stated Arjun Paudel, a senior administrative official in Rasuwa district.

“The river also carried away some containers filled with goods imported from China… This represents a substantial loss [of property], and we are gathering information,” he told Reuters.

The Nepali army successfully rescued 11 individuals, and search and rescue operations are ongoing, said spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet.

In recent years, China has ramped up its investments in Nepal, focusing on areas such as infrastructure, power generation, and healthcare.

China has been severely impacted by recent downpours and flash floods, which have caused extensive damage, and the nation is now preparing for a tropical storm anticipated later this week.

Nepal’s weather forecasting department is collaborating with Sentinel Asia—an international program utilizing space-based technology to aid disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region—to identify the causes of the flooding.

“We have submitted an Emergency Observation Request to Sentinel Asia for satellite data to help determine the potential causes and effects of the flood,” they stated.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, at least 79 fatalities have been reported since June 26 due to floods and rain-related incidents, including landslides and building collapses, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Tuesday.

The NDMA has issued new warnings about potential flash flooding and glacial lake outburst floods in Pakistan’s northern and northwestern provinces of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing “a notable increase in temperatures and an approaching weather system.”