Ilam, Oct. 8 -- It was past midnight on Saturday when the residents of Rajduwali, a small settlement along the banks of the Mai river in ward 10 of Ilam Municipality, were fast asleep. No one imagined that the river, which usually flowed quietly nearby, would suddenly turn into a monstrous torrent. Within minutes, the roaring flood devoured the entire settlement, sweeping away all 35 houses.

"It was around 12:30. I heard a strange sound. It was like the earth itself was moving," recalled Kanchan Meche, who barely escaped with her life. "When I stepped outside to see what it was, the flood was already at my doorstep. I grabbed my child and ran into the dark, leaving everything behind."

By dawn, Rajduwali no longer existed. What had once ...