Search operations for 19 people missing following the devastating flood in Rasuwa on Tuesday morning are ongoing, Nepal Police said.

Police teams have been deployed along the banks of the Trishuli and Narayani rivers, extending to districts including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan, and Nawalparasi, as efforts continue to locate those swept away by the floodwaters.

The body of Assistant Sub-inspector of Police Lal Bahadur Shrestha, who went missing during the flood in Rasuwa, was recovered in Chitwan on Tuesday evening. So far, nine deaths have been confirmed, but only five of the bodies are in a condition that can be identified, said Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjay Singh Thapa, spokesperson for the Bagmati Province Police Office.

The flood was triggered by intense rainfall and possibly a glacial lake outburst on the Chinese side of the border, which caused the Bhotekoshi River to swell rapidly. Officials in Nepal were unaware of the flood until the waters reached Betrawati, the border point between Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, due to the lack of a real-time data-sharing mechanism with China.

The sudden surge of water swept away roads, bridges, hydropower infrastructure, and vehicles, including several container trucks and electric vehicles parked at the Rasuwagadhi dry port. The Friendship Bridge, a key trade link between Nepal and Tibet, was also destroyed, severing cross-border transit and trade.

Rescue teams, including army helicopters, have evacuated dozens stranded near hydropower dams and riverbanks. Authorities continue search efforts amid ongoing challenges posed by unstable terrain and heavy rain.

Experts have highlighted Nepal’s vulnerability to climate change and extreme weather events, stressing the urgent need for improved early warning systems and cross-border cooperation to prevent such disasters in the future.