Landslides and floods triggered by heavy downpours in Nepal have killed at least 47 people, according to disaster officials.

Torrential downpours have lashed Nepal since Friday, leaving rivers in spate and many areas in the Himalayan nation inundated. Five people are missing, a spokeswoman for Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said on Sunday.

At least 37 people were killed by landslides in the worst affected eastern district of Ilam.

“Heavy rains overnight caused the landslides,” local district official Sunita Nepal said. “Rescue workers have reached the affected areas. It was difficult because many roads were blocked.”

Rivers in the capital, Kathmandu, also swelled, inundating settlements along the banks.

Security personnel were deployed with helicopters and motorboats to assist rescue efforts.

Landslides have blocked several highways and disrupted flights, leaving hundreds of travellers stranded – many returning after celebrating the Hindu festival of Dashain.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki said government agencies were “fully prepared for rescue and relief”.

Monsoon rains, which usually fall from June to September, bring widespread death and destruction every year across South Asia, but the number of fatal floods and landslides has increased in recent years.

Experts said climate change has worsened their schedule, frequency and intensity.