Rescuers search for 19 missing and recover 9 bodies after flooding in Nepal

KATHMANDU Nepal AP Dozens of rescuers searched the banks of a mountain river Wednesday looking for people missing after monsoon floods swept away Nepal s main bridge connecting to the country to China and caused at least nine deaths Police disclosed dozens of rescuers were already at the area and more are expected to join the rescue efforts Nine dead bodies have been recovered from the river Assurance forces have rescued people including four Indians and a Chinese person so far according to the Rasuwa District Administration Office Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli along with top ministers and officers flew to the area Oli called an urgency meeting Tuesday night and instructed all shield forces and regime offices to assist the rescue and recovery efforts The flooding on the Bhotekoshi River early Tuesday destroyed the Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadi which is kilometers miles north of the capital Kathmandu Several houses and trucks that were parked at the confines for customs inspections also were swept away Hundreds of electric vehicles imported from China had been parked at the margin point The missing are Nepali citizens and six Chinese nationals stated the National Tragedy Exposure Reduction and Management Authority The Chinese and eight of the Nepalis were workers at a Chinese-assisted construction project on the Nepali side of the edge according to the Chinese Embassy in Nepal quoted by state media The destruction of the bridge has halted all pact from China to Nepal through this passage The longer alternative is for goods to be shipped from China to India and then brought overland to Nepal Monsoon rains that begin in June and end in September often cause severe flooding in Nepal disrupting infrastructure and endangering lives Source