Kathmandu — At least 18 people have been confirmed dead after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides across Ilam district in eastern Nepal, police officials said on Sunday.
According to SSP Deepak Pokhrel, spokesperson for the Koshi Province Police Office, five deaths were reported from Suryodaya Municipality, three from Mangsebung, six from Ilam Municipality, three from Deumai, and one from Fakfokthum village council.
“The death toll might rise as assessments are still underway. We currently have only preliminary details of the damages and losses,” Pokhrel told ANI over the phone.
All three security forces—the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police—have been deployed to assist in rescue and evacuation operations. Authorities are working to relocate residents from flood-prone areas within the Kathmandu Valley as major rivers continue to overflow following relentless downpours.
Rescue teams began operations on Saturday morning, conducting door-to-door checks and helping residents move to safer locations. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology reported that water levels in several rivers, including the Bagmati, Hanumante, Manohara, Dhobi Khola, Bishnumati, Nakkhu, and Balkhu, are steadily rising. Officials warned that flooding could inundate roadside areas and nearby settlements, urging citizens to avoid riverbanks.
Forecasts have indicated a very high risk of further flooding and landslides in multiple districts, including Sunsari, Udaypur, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Sindhuli, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Sindhupalchok, Kavrepalanchok, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Makwanpur, and Chitwan.
Nepal, which expected above-average monsoon rainfall this year, has seen erratic weather patterns with heavy rains persisting beyond the usual monsoon season, which typically ends in September.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), nearly two million people from over 457,000 households are at risk of being affected by monsoon-related disasters this year.
