Monsoon-swollen floodwaters swept away the main bridge linking Nepal with China on Tuesday, leaving 18 people missing and halting a key trade route, according to Nepali authorities.

The Bhotekoshi River, swollen by heavy rainfall, destroyed the Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadi, located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Kathmandu. The flood also swept away several houses and trucks that had been parked at the border for customs inspections. Among the damaged property were hundreds of electric vehicles imported from China.

Rescue operations were underway, with a Nepali Army helicopter evacuating people stranded by the sudden flooding. Police said that 95 rescuers had already reached the site and additional teams were being mobilized.

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According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the 18 missing people include 12 Nepali citizens and six Chinese nationals. The Chinese nationals, along with eight of the Nepalis, were working on a Chinese-assisted construction project on the Nepali side of the border, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal said, as reported by state media.

The destruction of the Friendship Bridge has effectively stopped all trade via this route. With the Rasuwagadi checkpoint out of operation, the only viable alternative involves transporting goods from China to India and then overland into Nepal — a longer and more complex process.

Nepal’s monsoon season, which lasts from June to September, often brings devastating floods that damage infrastructure and threaten lives, particularly in mountainous and border regions.