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Tibet-Origin Flash Flood Devastates Nepal Border Towns and Hits Hydropower

A suspected landslide or glacial‑lake collapse on Wednesday sent a sudden surge down the Bhote Koshi, threatening Nepal's power supply by damaging 13 hydropower projects, prompting cross‑border flood alerts downstream in India.

Overview

  • The flash flood that struck Rasuwa on Wednesday has left dozens confirmed dead and hundreds reported missing as Nepal Army, police and helicopter teams continue search and rescue operations.
  • Nepal Electricity Authority’s preliminary assessment says 13 hydropower projects with about 748 MW of combined capacity were affected, with damage to dams, powerhouses, access roads and transmission lines still being assessed.
  • Border infrastructure and communities suffered heavy loss: the Rasuwagadhi Friendship Bridge, customs facilities and markets in Timure and Syafrubesi were destroyed or badly damaged, cutting trade and travel on the KerungRasuwagadhi corridor.
  • India dispatched an initial 10 tonnes of relief by C‑130J, placed NDRF and state teams on heightened alert and increased river monitoring over concerns that higher flows could reach the Gandak and Kosi systems downstream.
  • Officials and experts say the surge likely came from an upstream landslide or glacial‑lake outburst, reviving urgent calls in Kathmandu for formal, real‑time hazard data sharing from China as climate change raises the risk of similar events.