18 dead in Eastern Nepal from landslides and floods (Image credits: ANI)

At least 18 people died in landslides and flooding in Ilam, Eastern Nepal, over the past 24 hours, authorities said on Sunday morning.According to SSP Deepak Pokhrel, spokesperson for the Koshi Province Police Office, the casualties include five in Suryodaya Municipality, three in Mangsebung Municipality, six in Ilam Municipality, three in Deumai Municipality, and one in Fakfokthum village council.“The death toll might go high as we are accessing the damage. We only have the preliminary details of the damages and losses as of now,” SSP Pokhrel told ANI.Security forces from all three tiers—the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police—have been dispatched to assist in evacuations, particularly in flood-prone areas of Kathmandu Valley, as rivers swell after heavy rainfall.Operations began on Saturday morning along the main rivers flowing through the valley. Teams conducted door-to-door searches, helped residents evacuate, and assisted in moving household belongings to safer locations.The department of hydrology and meteorology reported rising water levels in rivers including the Bagmati, Hanumante, Manohara, Dhobi Khola, Bishnumati, Nakkhu, and Balkhu. Officials cautioned that some settlements and roadside areas could be inundated, advising people and motorists to avoid riverbanks.Several districts are now at a very high risk of flooding and landslides, including Sunsari, Udaypur, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Sindhuli, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Sindhupalchok, Kavrepalanchok, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Makwanpur, and Chitwan.Nepal had prepared for an above-average monsoon this year, but the rainfall pattern shifted unexpectedly. Although the monsoon usually lasts from June to September, renewed downpours have occurred even during the usual withdrawal period.The national disaster risk reduction and management authority (NDRRMA) estimates that nearly two million people across more than 457,000 households could be affected by monsoon-related disasters this year.