At least 8 killed in Nepal floods near Tibet border

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepalese authorities said at least eight people died after severe flooding hit a mountainous region near the country's border with Tibet. Officials reported that villages in the Siyaprubesi and Temur areas of Rasua district were submerged, with roads, bridges and hydroelectric facilities sustaining heavy damage. The region is home to roughly 50,000 people, and residents along the Bhotekoshi River were urged to evacuate to higher ground. Nepal's Ministry of Water Resources said power stations and other infrastructure were damaged, causing electricity outages across the area. Prime Minister Balendra Shah said rescue teams, along with police and army personnel, had been dispatched to join search and recovery operations. Officials noted that the direct cause of the disaster had not been determined, though they were assessing whether water released from a glacial lake in Tibet may have contributed to the flooding. The same region was hit by floods last year that killed nine people, left 24 missing and destroyed a Friendship Bridge used for trade between Nepal and China, disrupting commerce between the two countries for months.