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.
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