Flooding in the Bhotekoshi River has damaged three hydropower projects, halting more than 200 megawatts of electricity production, according to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).

The affected projects include the 111 MW Rasuwagadhi, the 22 MW Chilime, and the 60 MW Trishuli 3A, NEA spokesperson Rajan Dhakal said.

“Other projects, including the old Trishuli Hydropower Plant and several privately operated plants, have also been affected,” Dhakal added. “The 3B Hub substation is currently at the highest risk.”

While the full extent of the damage is yet to be confirmed, Rasuwagadhi is reported to have sustained the most severe impact.

[Read:  Flood Sweeps Away Miteri Bridge at Rasuwagadhi; Over a Dozen People Missing ]

Early Tuesday morning, July 8, over a dozen people went missing, a key bridge along the trade route between Nepal and China was swept away, and vehicles parked at the customs yard were washed off by the swollen Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwagadhi.

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 areas, while Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the local administration are engaged in rescue operations.

The Miteri Bridge, as it is commonly known, had been rebuilt with Chinese assistance after it was damaged in the 2015 earthquake.