Flooding from torrential rains in Haiti has left at least 42 people dead over the past couple days and dozens more missing and injured, officials said.

The civil protection agency said on Twitter on Monday the death toll had risen since Sunday night after floods over the weekend hit various parts of the country, including near the capital Port-au-Prince.

"My government, together with national and international institutions, is adopting urgent measures to meet the demands of the day," Prime Minister Ariel Henry said in a government statement on Sunday.

Aid agencies have been delivering food to displaced persons as civil protection officials warned over the weekend that the agricultural sector in parts of the country had been hard hit.

The deadly floods come as Haiti faces an already difficult scenario amid rampant gang violence, which the head of civil protection told the Miami Herald had impeded rescue efforts.

Hurricane season

The rains coincide with the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June to November.

The World Food Programme said tens of thousands of people have been affected, with the greatest damage reported in Port-au-Prince’s metropolitan area and in Haiti’s western region.

“A significant weather-induced event of this level so early in the hurricane season…raises concerns about the ability to provide a sustained response should extreme weather incidents continue to occur,” the agency warned.