Over a dozen people have gone missing, a key bridge on the trade route between Nepal and China has been swept away, and vehicles parked at the customs yard have been washed off by the flooded Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwagadhi early Tuesday morning, July 8.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said in a social media post that flooding was triggered by continuous rainfall on the Chinese side.
“The Bhotekoshi River flooded at around 3:15 AM this morning, causing damage to the Miteri Bridge that connects Nepal and China at Rasuwagadhi in Gosaikunda Rural Municipality, Rasuwa,” the post on X read. “The flood also entered the customs yard at Timure, sweeping away several cargo containers.”
In a separate post, NDRRMA said that a joint rescue team comprising the Nepali Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police Force had rescued nine individuals—two police personnel and seven locals—who were trapped in the customs yard of the Rasuwagadhi Customs Office in Gosaikunda-2, Rasuwa.
Still, around 18 people are missing, Dhruba Prasad Adhikari, Assistant Chief District Officer of Rasuwa, told New Business Age. He clarified that the flood occurred not in the eastern Bhotekoshi, but in the one that flows from China through Rasuwagadhi. “There are two Bhotekoshi rivers,” he noted.
Authorities said they have evacuated settlements in high-risk zones, while Nepal Police, Armed Police, and the local administration are engaged in rescue operations.
[Read: Poor Communication, Roads Disrupt Cross-Border Trade with China, Traders say ]
The Miteri Bridge, as it is commonly known, had been rebuilt with Chinese assistance after it was damaged in the 2015 earthquake.
Adhikari also confirmed that the dam of the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project has sustained damage.
Nepal conducts most of its trade with China through the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung and Tatopani-Khasa routes.
However, the Tatopani transit remained mostly closed until a few years ago after suffering a double blow–the 2015 earthquake and international border closure following the spread of Covid-19.
Sindhupalchok was among the most affected districts in the 2015 Gorkha earthquake.
Though Rasuwagadhi-Kerung came to be used as an alternative to Tatopani-Khasa route after the earthquake, it also remained mostly closed for three years from early 2020.
There are around a dozen other traditional trade points between the two countries, especially to benefit Nepalis living near the northern border for earning their livelihoods and purchasing daily necessities.
However, they were only reopened earlier in May 2024, after China had kept them closed for four years citing Covid pandemic.
This news has been updated.
