7 dead, 18 missing as landslides wreak havoc on China-Nepal border

ISTANBUL

At least seven people were killed and 18 others are missing after landslides hit a border port between China and Nepal on Tuesday, the daily Kathmandu Post reported.

A bridge and nine loaded containers were also washed away by the flash floods, it said.

Authorities said 55 people were rescued from the areas affected by the floods, according to Kathmandu Post.

The landslides hit Jilong Port in Tibet bordering Nepal, according to the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency.

Dhruva Prasad Adhikari, a Nepalese official, said the missing people included three police personnel, nine civilians, and six Chinese nationals.

The heavy rainfall on the Chinese side brought heavy flash floods in the Lende River, damaging the yard of the Customs Office at Rasuwagadhi border point with China.

Authorities have deployed more than 210 personnel and nearly 40 vehicles in search and rescue operations, according to Xinhua.

More than 350 people have been relocated.