More than two dozen people have gone missing after intense rainfall in China’s Tibet region caused severe flooding in the Bhote Koshi River, which flows through both Nepal and China. The floodwaters swept away the 'Friendship Bridge' linking the two nations, officials reported on Tuesday (July 8). In Nepal, at least 18 individuals are missing, including six Chinese workers and three police officers, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), which also noted that eight electric vehicles were washed away and a small hydroelectric plant was damaged.

On the Chinese side, state news agency Xinhua reported that 11 people are missing. The Chinese nationals missing in Nepal were employed at the Inland Container Depot project, located around 80 kilometers north of Kathmandu and supported by China, said Arjun Paudel, a senior official in Rasuwa district. He added that several shipping containers carrying Chinese imports were also swept away. “There’s been significant property loss, and we are still assessing the full extent,” he told Reuters. The Nepal Army has rescued 11 people so far, and search and rescue efforts continue, army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet confirmed.

China has recently ramped up its investment in Nepal, focusing on infrastructure projects such as roads, hospitals, and power plants. However, the country itself has been grappling with relentless rain and flash floods in recent days, with further damage expected due to an incoming tropical storm. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, at least 79 people — including 38 children — have died in weather-related disasters such as floods, landslides, and collapsed homes since June 26, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported Tuesday.

The NDMA has issued new warnings for flash floods and glacial lake outburst floods in the Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions, citing rising temperatures and an approaching weather system. Notably, Gilgit-Baltistan’s Chilas district recorded Pakistan’s highest temperature on Saturday at 48.5°C, surpassing its previous record of 47.7°C set in July 1997, according to NDMA spokesperson Sophia Siddiqui.