Anup Ojha, Kathmandu, July 12 -- The monsoon has arrived-and with a fury.

Incessant rainfall, beginning Thursday night and continuing well into Friday, triggered floods and landslides across the country, killing at least 17 people, with six missing. Thousands were displaced from their homes as floodwaters rose in the rivers, indudating whole villages, primarily in the Tarai. Highways too were blocked either by the waters or by landslides. The rainfall is expected to continue until Sunday.

According to figures from the Nepal Police, 17 people, including three in Kathmandu, died while six are missing and seven injured. Initial reports showed that 400 families in Morang and 35 families in Bara have been displaced, Bed Nidhi Khanal, chief o...