Nepal seeks India, China bridges as floods cut key roads and kill 1,356

Nepal is seeking temporary bridges from India and China after flash floods severed crucial road links. The massive damage is slowing rescue, recovery and the effort to reconnect isolated communities.Image used for representational purposes onlyNepal is racing to restore vital road links cut off by devastating flash floods, with authorities seeking temporary bridges from India and China to reconnect communities in the worst-hit areas. The death toll from the August 26 disaster stood at 1,356 as of Monday, while 4,994 people remained missing and 13,396 people had been rescued, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.The floods were triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border, sending the Bhotekoshi River surging downstream and washing away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges while also damaging hydropower projects across northern and central Nepal. The scale of the damage has severely affected rescue and recovery work.Nepal has sought temporary bridges from both India and China, and both countries have responded positively. China has already sent two 100-metre Bailey bridges to the Korala border crossing in Mustang, The Kathmandu Post reported on Tuesday.The Department of Roads has estimated damage to roads and bridges at NPR 30 billion, while rebuilding is expected to cost about NPR 50 billion, the report said. The floods destroyed 41 motorable bridges between Rasuwa and Chitwan and partially damaged four others, leaving only 18 of the 63 bridges along the corridor intact. Several critical road links have been severed. In Rasuwa, the disaster cut the road connection with Nuwakot, while the concrete bridge at Furke Khola was destroyed, snapping the direct link between Dhadingbesi, the Dhading district headquarters, and the Prithvi Highway.The Department of Roads has started clearing and reopening stretches washed away by the floods to allow temporary bridges to be installed, the report said, quoting Shubharaj Neupane, deputy director general and spokesperson for the department. The Nepali Army is separately installing an Acrow bridge at Devighat in Nuwakot, it added. The Department of Roads has 11 Bailey bridges, each up to 48 metres long, but moving them to the affected sites remains a major challenge as roads leading to several locations have also been swept away, Sushil Babu Dhakal, joint secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, said. "Even where Bailey bridges are available, there is no road to transport them to the sites. Work is underway to reopen the tracks damaged by the floods," Dhakal said. India has also offered to supply Bailey bridges, the report said.Authorities are also struggling to identify bodies recovered from the floodwaters. Only 98 bodies had been identified and handed over to families as of Monday, according to the NDRRMA. Many of the bodies recovered after being swept downstream were severely damaged, decomposed or found only in parts, making identification difficult.On the Chinese side, the disaster killed at least 43 people, while more than 500 people remain missing in Tibet, according to Chinese media reports. As Nepal pushes to reopen washed-out roads and install temporary bridges, the flood damage continues to weigh heavily on rescue, recovery and rebuilding efforts.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 8, 2026 12:08 IST