World

Nepal Accelerates Bridge Reconstruction with Indian, Chinese Aid After Deadly Floods

By PTI

Nepal is working urgently to restore road connections destroyed by catastrophic flash floods, requesting temporary bridges from India and China to reconnect communities cut off in the disaster zone. As of Monday, September 7, 2026, the death toll from the August 26 flooding reached 1,356, with 4,994 people still missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). Rescuers have saved 13,396 people so far. The disaster began when an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border caused the Bhotekoshi River to surge downstream, destroying homes, vehicles, roads, bridges, and hydropower facilities throughout northern and central Nepal. Both India and China have agreed to provide temporary bridges after Nepal's request. According to a Tuesday, September 8, 2026 report in The Kathmandu Post, China has already delivered two 100-metre Bailey bridges to the Korala border point in Mustang. The Department of Roads estimates the damage to road and bridge infrastructure at NPR 30 billion, with reconstruction costs projected at approximately NPR 50 billion. Of 63 bridges along the corridor between Rasuwa and Chitwan, 41 were completely destroyed and four sustained partial damage, leaving just 18 bridges intact. The flooding has cut off major transportation routes. In Rasuwa district, the road connection to Nuwakot was severed, and the destruction of the concrete bridge at Furke Khola eliminated the direct route between Dhadingbesi, the Dhading district headquarters, and the Prithvi Highway. Department of Roads deputy director general and spokesperson Shubharaj Neupane told the Post that crews have started clearing debris and reopening damaged road sections to enable installation of temporary bridges. Separately, the Nepali Army is installing an Acrow bridge at Devighat in Nuwakot. Sushil Babu Dhakal, joint secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, said the Department of Roads possesses 11 Bailey bridges measuring up to 48 metres each, but delivering them to affected areas poses significant difficulties since access roads themselves were washed away. "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 explained. India has similarly pledged to supply Bailey bridges, according to the report. The extensive infrastructure destruction has complicated ongoing rescue and recovery efforts, and authorities continue struggling to identify recovered bodies. As of Monday, only 98 bodies had been identified and returned to their families, per NDRRMA data. Many corpses recovered from floodwaters after being carried downstream were badly damaged, decomposed, or found only in fragments, complicating identification efforts. The disaster also claimed at least 43 lives in China, with Chinese media reporting more than 500 people still missing in Tibet.