(MENAFN) Heavy rainfall in northern Nepal triggered flash floods early Tuesday, leaving 18 people missing, including six Chinese nationals, according to reports.

The Chinese Embassy in Nepal confirmed that six of its citizens, along with eight Nepali nationals, were unaccounted for while working on Chinese-assisted infrastructure projects near the Rasuwagadhi border crossing.

Local police at Rasuwagadhi reported that among the missing were three Nepali police officers and nine other Nepalese, in addition to the Chinese workers.

The Chinese diplomatic mission has dispatched a response team to the affected region.

A police inspector from Rasuwa district stated that most of those missing had been stationed at a dry port near the border with China. The flooding also destroyed a bridge at the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border and carried away several electric vehicles that had been parked at the site.

Two bodies were later discovered in the neighboring Dhading district, according to a police spokesperson from that region.

Nepal experiences annual disasters such as floods, landslides, and mudslides caused by intense monsoon rains, which frequently result in casualties and infrastructure damage.

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