Flash floods killed at least seven people and swept away the main bridge connecting Nepal to China, officials said on Tuesday, as search and rescue efforts continued for missing people. The floods, which began early Tuesday, struck the Rasuwa district, where the Nepal-China Friendship Bridge is. Officials said their initial assessment showed extensive damage to the customs yard at the border crossing, where hundreds of vehicles and cargo containers were parked. There were also reports of power outages from damaged hydropower plants. Nepal’s army and police used helicopters to rescue 55 people, while the search for at least 18 others continued. The police said missing people included three police personnel, nine Nepali civilians and six Chinese nationals. The police officers were swept away when they were trying to help in the rescue, according to Binod Ghimire, a spokesman for the Nepal police. He said most of the civilians from both sides were drivers who helped transport goods at the border crossing. “There are sad reports of some deaths while some people are missing,” KP Sharma Oli, the prime minister of Nepal, said in a statement after touring the affected area by helicopter. “The flood has caused a huge loss to physical infrastructure.”

Full report : At least eight killed and dozens missing after floods on Nepal-China border.