Thirty-five people were killed in separate landslides in the Ilam district in the east bordering India, Kalidas Dhauboji, a spokesperson for the Armed Police Force, said on Sunday.

Nine people were missing after being washed away by floods since Friday and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in Nepal, he added, as relentless downpours pummelled eastern and central regions of the Himalayan nation. “Rescue efforts for the missing persons are going on,” said Shanti Mahat, a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority spokesperson in Nepal. The Ministry of Home Affairs has declared Monday and Tuesday as public holidays nationwide, exempting emergency services and disaster response teams, as the government battles the crisis. Government spokesperson Rameshwar Dangal cited forecasts of heavy rains as justification for the unusual measure.

Meteorological authorities have also placed more than a dozen districts on red alert, with department chief Kamal Ram Joshi warning the residents near waterways to evacuate immediately, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported. The alert covers major population centres, including parts of the capital, Kathmandu, with Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Madhesh provinces expected to bear the brunt of continued downpours through Monday morning. Transport infrastructure has suffered extensive damage, with landslides cutting all major routes into Kathmandu. (Aljazeera)