Floods have killed at least a dozen people in Nepal and Butan after heavy rain the countries, officials said.

The region’s annual monsoon season brought heavy rain which triggered landslides and flash floods when rivers overflowed. Hundreds more people remain missing.

Footage shows worried locals gathering alongside a swollen river in Bagmati province on June 16.

Heavy rain caused torrents of muddy water to surge down mountains and swell rivers in the Helambu and Melamchi regions of the Sindhupalchok district, just a few kilometres east of the capital Kathmandu.

Part of the Sindhupalchok district was still submerged in floods today after the heavy rainfall caused the Melamchi River to burst its banks and overflow.

Officials continue to conduct rescue operations in affected areas. At least 500 households have been evacuated.

Nepal and other parts of Asia such as India, Thailand and Malaysia are at the start of their annual tropical monsoon rainy season, which lasts until around October or November. Soaring temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius are often followed by powerful tropical storms with thunder, lightning, rain and flash floods.