Overview

• A pre-dawn surge on July 8, triggered by heavy monsoon rains in Tibet, destroyed the Miteri (Friendship) Bridge over the Bhotekoshi River and washed away about 200 vehicles at the Rasuwagadhi customs port.
• Eighteen people—12 Nepali citizens and six Chinese nationals—remain unaccounted for after the flood surge swept through the border area.
• Twelve Nepal Police officers are trapped in the affected locality, with high water levels and bad weather complicating access to their location.
• The collapse of the bridge has closed Nepal’s primary overland trade link with China, forcing traders to reroute goods via alternative corridors through India.
• Initial assessments report extensive damage to hydropower facilities in Rasuwa district, threatening up to 200 MW of electricity generation capacity.