Ten days after the devastating floods that originated on the Nepal-China border and tore downstream through districts in central Nepal, a team from Nepali security forces reached Rasuwagadhi, the bordering town, on Saturday.

The team led by Deputy Superintendent of Armed Police Force Pradeep Rai and Nepali Army Major Deepak Rai installed the Nepali flag on the border.

This is the first time a Nepali team has reached the area since a glacial collapse sent a wall of ice, mud, water and debris through Lhende Khola to the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers that course through central Nepal. The floods have killed as many as 1,344 people, according to the latest official data, left nearly 5,000 missing, and swept away entire settlements, hydropower plants, bridges and other infrastructure.

While construction has already started on the Chinese side of the border, the area on the Nepali side has remained quiet and desolate.

The Nepali Army personnel reached the area by helicopter, while APF personnel walked on foot from Timure.

Previously, various structures demarcated Nepal’s territory with China. But with those structures swept away by last week’s devastating floods, there was nothing that separated the Nepali territory from that of China.