Nepali security personnel install flag on China border after devastating floods

Ten days after devastating floods tore through central Nepal, Nepali security personnel reached Rasuwagadhi and installed the national flag on the border with China.

The team, led by Armed Police Force Deputy Superintendent Pradeep Rai and Nepali Army Major Deepak Rai, arrived in the bordering town on Saturday. It marked the first time a Nepali team had reached the area since a glacial collapse sent ice, mud, water and debris through Lhende Khola and into the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers.

The floods swept away the entire settlement and structures that had previously marked Nepal’s territory. With those barriers gone, nothing separated the Nepali side from China at Rasuwagadhi. The Nepali Army personnel flew in by helicopter, while Armed Police Force personnel walked from Timure.

The disaster has killed as many as 1,344 people and left nearly 5,000 missing, according to the latest official data. Entire settlements, hydropower plants, bridges and other infrastructure were swept away. Construction has already begun on the Chinese side, while the Nepali side remains quiet and desolate.