Eight dead, dozens missing as floods destroy Nepal-China friendship bridge
Listen to article
At least eight people were killed and over two dozen remain missing after the Bhote Koshi River flooded on the Nepal-China border, sweeping away the "Friendship Bridge" that connects the two countries, officials said on Tuesday.
Despite no heavy rainfall in the immediate area, experts suspect the flooding was triggered by an overflowing glacial lake in Tibet following torrential rains. Nepalese police confirmed the recovery of eight unidentified bodies and the rescue of 57 individuals, with search and rescue operations ongoing.
At least 20 people are reported missing in Nepal, including six Chinese workers and three police officers, according to Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). In China, state media reported 11 missing on the other side of the border.
Also read: PMD warns of heavy monsoon rains, flood risks
The Chinese nationals were working on the Inland Container Depot under construction with Chinese assistance, located about 80 km north of Kathmandu. Arjun Paudel, a senior local official in Nepal's Rasuwa district, said containers carrying Chinese imports were also swept away. "There is a big loss of property and we are collecting details," he said.
Trade between Nepal and China has been disrupted due to the bridge's destruction. The Bhote Koshi River area is a key transit route for goods between the two countries.
China, which has significantly increased investment in Nepal in recent years, has also been battling heavy rain and flash floods, with more severe weather expected due to an approaching tropical storm.
Also read: Hope fades for missing in Texas floods as death toll nears 100
Nepal's weather authorities are working with Sentinel Asia, an international initiative using satellite data for disaster response, to investigate the exact cause of the flood.
Meanwhile in Pakistan, floods and rain-related incidents, including landslides and house collapses, have claimed at least 79 lives since June 26, the National Disaster Management Authority said. The dead include 38 children. Fresh alerts have been issued for flash floods and glacial lake outbursts in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to rising temperatures and an approaching weather system.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Over 68 missing a week after Himalayan flood disaster
Houses are partially buried by a mudslide, amid flash floods, in Dharali, Uttarakhand, India, August 5, 2025. Photo: Reuters Listen to article Indian officials say at least 68 people are unaccounted for a week after a deadly wall of icy water swept away a Himalayan town and buried it in mud. On top of four people reported to have been killed, it takes the likely overall toll of the August 5 disaster to more than 70 dead. Videos broadcast by survivors showed a terrifying surge of muddy water sweeping away multi-storey apartment blocks. Disaster officials said Tuesday that they were searching for corpses in the wreckage of the tourist town of Dharali in Uttarakhand state. Gambhir Singh Chauhan, from the National Disaster Response Force, said sniffer dogs had identified several sites indicating there was a body but when "when digging started, water came out from below". Chauhan said teams were also using ground penetrating radar in the grim search. More than 100 people were initially reported as missing. But with roads swept away and mobile phone communications damaged, it has taken rescuers days to cross-check the list. The local government now lists 68 people as missing, including 44 Indians and 22 Nepalis. Nine soldiers are on the list. Deadly floods and landslides are common during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change, coupled with poorly planned development, is increasing their frequency and severity. Climate change experts warned that the disaster was a "wake-up call" to the effects of global warming. No official cause of the flood has been given, but scientists have said it was likely that intense rains triggered a collapse of debris from a rapidly melting glacier. Himalayan glaciers, which provide critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters. The softening of permafrost increases the chances of landslides.
Express Tribune
19 hours ago
- Express Tribune
European heatwave sets records
A firefighting plane works to extinguish a wildfire on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Canakkale, Turkey. Photo: REUTERS A young boy died of heatstroke in Italy while wildfires threatened a UNESCO site in Spain and French cities saw record temperatures, as a heatwave baked Europe on Monday. The four-year-old Romanian boy died days after being found unconscious in the family's car in Sardinia. The boy was airlifted to a Rome hospital but died of irreversible brain damage, the hospital told AFP on Monday. The news came as Italy's health ministry issued a red alert warning for seven major cities, including Bologna and Florence. Some 11 Italian cities are on red alert for Tuesday, and 16 cities on Wednesday, while around 190 firefighters and the army continue to tackle a wildfire on Mount Vesuvius that caused the closure of the national park to tourists. Wildfires damaged a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site in northwestern Spain and forced evacuations in three Balkan countries as high temperatures fanned by strong winds left parts of Europe in flames. Spanish firefighters struggled to contain a wildfire that damaged a Roman-era mining site in Las Medulas and prompted hundreds of residents to evacuate. High temperatures and winds of up to 40 kilometres per hour (25 mph) created "many difficulties", said Juan Carlos Suarez-Quinones, the Castile and Leon regional environment minister. "We will not allow people to return until safety in their communities is absolutely guaranteed," he told reporters, estimating that about 700 people had been displaced. Four people, including two firefighters, suffered minor injuries, he added. The blaze broke out on Sunday near the Las Medulas area famed for its striking red landscape. Spain has been in the grip of a heatwave for the past week, with temperatures nearing 40C in many areas and fuelling wildfires. Castile and Leon alone has seen 13 fires in the past three days, according to Suarez-Quinones, who said that some were believed to have been deliberately started.
Express Tribune
21 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Hundreds evacuated as wildfires sweep Turkey's Canakkale province
Listen to article Firefighters in Turkey are battling wildfires in the centre of the northwestern province of Canakkale, fanned by strong winds, and hundreds of residents have been evacuated as a precaution, local authorities and media said on Monday. Airplanes, helicopters, vehicles and around 700 personnel are fighting the blazes, city Governor Omer Toraman said in a post on X. Authorities launched precautionary evacuations, including a university campus, and military and residential areas, urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. Read More: 6.1-magnitude quake hits western Turkey The city's airport and the Dardanelles Strait, as well as part of the highway, were shut for several hours on Monday before reopening after sunset due to the wildfires. Reuters images showed flames consuming swathes of forest with thick smoke billowing into the sky. Helicopters were seen scooping water from the Dardanelles Strait and dousing the blazes, while water-spraying police vehicles worked to extinguish flames that had spread to some residential buildings. Also Read: Turkey reports hottest July in 55 years Temperatures in the region reached 33 degrees Celsius with wind speeds of up to 66 kilometres per hour, according to Turkey's meteorological service. Some 50 people were affected by smoke and treated at nearby medical facilities, but none were in life-threatening condition, the governor said.
