Lucknow/Bhubaneswar/Patna/Raipur, Sept. 27 -- Heavy downpours across eastern and central India in the last 48 hours claimed at least 18 lives and damagedcrops and property, and triggered widespread floods, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. At least 17 people were killed, and five others were injured as extremely heavy rainfall lashed several parts of Uttar Pradesh in the last 48 hours as monsoon activity intensified across the state on its retreat. Sixty-three of the state's 75 districts recorded above-normal rainfall, with the state receiving 19 times the normal showers in the past 24 hours, according to relief commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod. The downpour and strong winds damaged standing crops in rural areas. A press statement from the relief commissioner's office said, "One death each was reported from Amethi, Bahraich, Banda, Barabanki, Basti, Fatehpur, Hamirpur, Hardoi, and Kanpur Nagar; two in Ayodhya; and four in Lakhimpur Kheri in the last 48 hours." It also said one person died due to a wall collapse in Bahraich, and another died due to a thunderstorm in Basti. Uttar Pradesh recorded average rainfall of 52.5 mm in 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday, while several observatories recorded over 200 mm of rain. In the last 48 hours, heavy rain affected more than 73,000 people across 10 districts of Odisha, with over 40,000 people evacuated to safer locations, officials said on Saturday. The state's revenue and disaster management minister, Suresh Pujari, said southern Odisha had been particularly affected, with Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Ganjam and Gajapati districts witnessing widespread impact. According to the latest government assessment, the affected areas include 80 blocks, 325 gram panchayats, 1,071 villages and 49 wards in 10 urban local bodies, while 721 houses were partially or fully damaged and 4,480 hectares of crop land affected, said special relief commission Rajesh Prabhakar Patil. Amid incessant rainfall in Nepal and its catchment areas, coupled with the continuous release of water from the Valmikinagar barrage, over 2,000 villagers were forced to move to safer locations after water from the Gandak river gushed into houses in West Champaran district on Saturday, said Bagaha -2's circle officer Wasim Akram. Meanwhile, chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit on Saturday directed district authorities across sensitive riverine belts to remain on high alert, bracing for a possible surge in rivers originating from Nepal's hilly region. Bihar recorded a statewide average of roughly 54 mm of rainfall over the two days covering September 24-25 (IMD data via CEIC), with continued moderate to heavy falls into the 26th and sharp localised extremes. Heavy rain continued to lash several parts of Chhattisgarh, causing flooding and waterlogging, disrupting road connectivity and forcing authorities to close schools in eight districts, officials said. A 40-year-old farmer had drowned in Kondagaon on Friday after falling into a swollen drain while attempting to catch fish from a waterlogged paddy field, officials said....