A devastating flood in the Lhendi River, which flows from Tibet into Nepal, has washed away the Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadhi—a trade link between Nepal and China—halting all cross-border movement and causing widespread destruction to infrastructure, vehicles, and lives.

The flood, which struck at around 3:15 am on Tuesday, not only swept away the bridge but also caused severe damage to roads, the under construction dry port, the Rasuwagadhi customs yard, and the dam of the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project. Containers, electric vehicles, and essential border infrastructure have been destroyed, leading to an economic and humanitarian crisis.

According to Chief District Officer (CDO) Arjun Poudel, “The flood has caused extensive damage, and we fear there may be human casualties. Rescue operations are being hampered by continuous rainfall, bad weather, and landslides at 10 different locations along the Syafrubesi-Timure road section.”

Fifty-five people trapped on the dam side of Rasuwagadhi Hydropower have been rescued. Rescue teams of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force (APF) and Nepali Army (NA) have said that 55 people have been rescued as of 3:30 pm on Tuesday. The rescued people include four women and 51 men. One Chinese national is also among the rescued people.

Three police personnel too went out of contact in the mission and they were identified as Assistant Sub-inspector Lal Bahadur Shrestha and Constables Munna Thakur and Lokendra Bohora. They were deployed from the Area Police Office in Timure for rescue efforts but were swept away by the floodwaters. A team of 94 people including Police, APF and NA were deployed for rescue. According to the District Police Office, Rasuwa, the bodies of seven people have been recovered in various places.

At least 20 people are said to be missing. The missing Chinese nationals are identified as Yu Yue, Li Huaqin, Yang Chuan, Yu Haihang, Yu Qiao Chui and Zhou Yong. The missing Nepalis include several drivers and laborers working near the customs area and dry port. 

A rescue of an elderly couple—Palden Tamang (60) and Mangali Tamang (67)—was successfully conducted by NA helicopters after they clung to a tree in the Trishuli River for over three hours. “Had the helicopter not arrived on time, we would have died,” said Palden, scared. 

They had gone to the river to collect firewood in the morning. However, they were stranded when the river level suddenly rose due to a flood. After falling in the middle, they had to climb a tree for some time.

The Friendship Bridge, a vital artery for bilateral trade, was originally constructed with Chinese investment after the 2015 earthquake damaged the old bridge. It was repaired after another flood in 2020. The bridge served as a crucial entry point for goods entering Nepal from Kerung, China.

CDO Poudel said the disaster has completely halted import-export activities, cutting off the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung trade corridor after 12 years of connectivity. “The flood has not only cut off road communication but has inflicted severe damage on the customs yard, containers, and charging stations for electric cargo vehicles,” he added.

A total of 64 vehicles were swept away by the flood, including 23 cargo containers, six freight trucks, and 35 new electric vehicles. Just a week ago, the Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) published a news article mentioning the risk of floods and landslides in the Rasuwagadhi area where the Customs Office asked the owners to take their vehicles that had passed the inspection to another place. But the caution was ignored. 

The National Insurance Authority said the insurance claim process will be simplified for damage caused by the flood, including the vehicles.

The under construction Timure Dry Port in Rasuwa suffered 60 percent physical damage. 

Additionally, the flood severely damaged the dam of the 111 MW Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project, raising concerns about the safety and sustainability of energy infrastructure in the region. The bailey bridge along the Galchhi–Betrabati–Syafrubesi road, a critical access route for local communities, was also swept away. 

Meanwhile, widespread road damage has been reported at more than 10 locations, including major disruptions at Gosaikunda Rural Municipality-2 Tatopani, leaving many areas isolated and complicating ongoing rescue and relief operations.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli suspended all scheduled programs except essential ones following the damage caused by the floods in Rasuwa. In a statement, Chief Secretary Krishna Prasad Poudel expressed sorrow over the loss of lives and urged the government to intensify response efforts. 

PM Oli said that he is coordinating to provide emergency assistance by suspending the programs. He wrote on social media on Tuesday, “The government is on a war footing to rescue those affected by the floods in the Trishuli River due to heavy rains in the border area of ​​Tibet.” He also directed that no reduction should be made in the efforts made by the government. 

A government team including PM Oli visited the disaster scene. The team included Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel, Home Secretary Gokarnamani Duwadi and other government officials, said Home Ministry spokesperson Ramchandra Tiwari.

Nepal has sought China’s cooperation in rescue and recovery. Authorities have warned that floods and landslides are likely to continue during the monsoon season. The Rasuwagadhi region has a long history of flood-related damages, with the Lhendi River regularly overflowing during heavy rains.

“We are collecting full details of the damage in both Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts,” said CDO Poudel. “Our priority is to continue rescue missions and provide relief to the affected families.”

As the rain continues, locals and border communities remain on high alert. Rescue teams are racing against time, navigating destroyed roads, ongoing landslides, and treacherous conditions to search for the missing and assist survivors.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Flood Forecasting Division reported a sudden large inflow into the Bhotekoshi River from the Tibetan region. The division has made public a preliminary study report on the Bhotekoshi flood.

According to the division’s preliminary report, the water level at the automatic water gauging station located at Rasuwa Timure, a little downstream from the Rasuwagadhi checkpoint, suddenly increased by about 3.5 meters at 3:10 am. The water level at the station, which was 3.65 meters at 3:30 am, suddenly reached 5.37 meters at 3:40 am and data transmission from the center was immediately stopped, the division said. Quoting the center’s gauge reader, the division also informed that the center itself was swept away by the flood.

Officials from the Disaster Management Authority and the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology suspect that there may have been heavy rain in neighboring China or that the dam may have burst, leading to the flood. The division also stated that there has been no rainfall to the extent of flooding in the Bhotekoshi watershed. In the last 24 hours (from 9 am on Monday to 9 am on Tuesday), only intermittent rainfall was measured at the Canjing Meteorological Center in Rasuwa and the Dhunche Meteorological Center in Rasuwa, which are close to the Nepal-China border.

According to Sindhupalchok Assistant Chief District Officer Ganesh Nepali, Chinese officials have warned of more rain and risk tonight as rain continues to batter Nyalam, Tibet region of China.

Senior watershed expert, Madhukar Upadhya said the incident serves as a wake-up call for Nepal’s disaster preparedness—especially in the face of transboundary risks. He emphasized that no significant rainfall had occurred in Nepal during the 48 hours surrounding the incident, a fact further supported by satellite data, which showed no precipitation activity in the region. He suggested the flood could have been triggered by a lake outburst or a sudden breach in a dammed lake that had been building pressure for a long time.

“This kind of flood is not born within our borders, but we suffer its full force,” Upadhya noted. He warned that the risk of such transboundary disasters is now increasing, and Nepal must prepare for the consequences of events that originate in neighboring countries. “What makes this incident particularly tragic,” he stressed, “is the lack of early warning or communication from upstream authorities.” Just two weeks ago, he recalled, Nepal and China had successfully coordinated on a potential flood threat, which helped save many lives. This time, however, there was no exchange of such information, and the disaster struck in the night—leaving no time for alerts or evacuation.

“The early warning system wasn’t activated, and that failure cost many lives,” Upadhya said. “The fact that our safety now depends not only on our own preparedness but also on the cooperation—or silence—of others beyond our borders must change the way we approach disaster management.”

According to the estimates of the Disaster Management Authority, 523,656 people from 119,830 households in Lumbini Province will be directly affected due to the monsoon this year. In Bagmati Province, 327,376 people from 74,914 households are expected to be affected, while in Gandaki Province, 287,107 people from 65,699 households could be affected. Similarly, 275,867 people from 63,127 households in Koshi Province could be impacted. In Sudurpaschim Province, 227,730 people from 52,112 households could be affected, followed by 127,308 people from 29,132 households in Karnali Province, and 228,687 people from 52,331 households in Madhes Province.