Nepal has suffered record-breaking rain, causing major flooding and landslides, killing 170 and leaving over 40 people still missing.

At least 35 people were killed travelling in three vehicles when a landslide crushed them on a highway south of Kathmandu.

The floods have forced the country to shut down universities and schools. Authorities said students and parents faced difficulties as school buildings were damaged by the wild weather and are in need of repair.

Lakshmi Bhattarai, a spokesperson for the education ministry, said they “have urged the concerned authorities to close schools in the affected areas for three days”.

The highways connecting Kathmandu to the rest of the country were severely damaged causing locals to be stranded in the city. Ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari said bulldozers were being used to clear the highways that had been blocked by debris.

“More than 3,000 people have been rescued,” he added.

Parts of Kathmandu have recorded 322.2mm of rain, pushing the level of the Bagmati river up over two metres past the danger mark.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said preliminary data from stations in 14 districts measured record-breaking rain in the 24 hours to Saturday morning. A station at the Kathmandu airport recorded about 240 millimetres of rain, which is the highest since 2002.

There are some positive signs ahead as rain eases in most parts of the country and more heavy rain is unlikely.

Deadly flash floods and landslides are common across South Asia during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity. More then 260 people have died in Nepal due to rain-related disasters this year.

Photo: Kathmandu- way to Bhaktapur by Amit Pokhrel is available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons Licence. This image has not been modified.