People collect vegetables from water after heavy monsoon rains flooded a vegetable market in Kathmandu, Nepal, Aug 8, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

KATHMANDU - Landslides caused by heavy rain have killed at least one person, and blocked a major highway in Nepal this week, officials said on Tuesday, as the death toll from the annual monsoon rains nears 40.

The rains, which lash the Himalayan nation from June to September, kill scores of people every year, and many more go missing as the monsoon triggers landslides and floods.

This year, 38 people have died and at least 33 people are missing, Mana Acharya, an official at the home ministry said

This year, 38 people have died and at least 33 people are missing, Mana Acharya, an official at the home ministry said.

Rescue workers are also searching for another 6 people who have gone missing after a landslide swept away their home in a village near Kathmandu, she added.

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Landslides have also blocked a major highway connecting the capital with the southern plains, police said.

Rains have also caused the Bagmati river in the Kathmandu Valley to breach its banks, flooding areas of the region that is home to about four million people.

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Television channels showed footage of people trying to bail flood waters out of their homes. Authorities have also asked residents near the eastern Sindhuli River to evacuate as the water rises.