KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, along with Chinese Ambassador Chen Song and other officials, reached the Rasuwagadhi border point to inspect the damage caused by a massive flood in the Bhotekoshi River.
The delegation, which included Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, and Energy and Water Resources Minister Deepak Khadka, flew to the Nepal-China border area in Rasuwagadhi by helicopter on Tuesday afternoon.
The team also comprised Home Secretary Gokarna Dhubadi, Chief of Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel, Inspector General of Nepal Police Deepak Thapa, Armed Police Force Chief Raju Aryal, Chief of National Investigation Department Hut Raj Thapa, Revenue Secretary Dinesh Kumar Ghimire, and Executive Chief of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Engineer Dinesh Prasad Bhatt.
Following the devastating flood that struck the Lhende River at around 3 AM on Tuesday, which caused significant destruction, a high-level government delegation along with diplomats arrived in Rasuwa to assess the situation.
The floodwaters from China’s Lhende and Kerung rivers entered Nepal’s Bhotekoshi River with great intensity, sweeping away the Miteri Bridge that connects Rasuwagadhi with China’s Kerung.
The flood also washed away several cargo containers stationed at the Rasuwa customs office. Dozens of electric vehicles were swept away as well. A total of 18 people, including cargo truck drivers, police personnel, and both Nepali and Chinese nationals, have gone missing.
So far, bodies of seven people who were swept away by the flood have been recovered. According to Nepal Police, 55 people trapped by the flood have been rescued.
The most affected areas include wards 1, 2, and 3 of Gosainkunda Rural Municipality; wards 1, 2, 4, and 5 of Aamachhodingmo Rural Municipality; wards 2, 4, and 5 of Uttargaya Rural Municipality; and ward 1 of Kalika Rural Municipality.
According to Dhruva Prasad Adhikari, Assistant Chief District Officer of Rasuwa, the flood has caused large-scale destruction of physical infrastructure.
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