Kathmandu: The death toll from flash floods in Nepal rose to 781 Sunday, with more bodies being recovered, even as more than 2,500 people are still missing.
Bodies were recovered from eight affected districts as rescuers raced against time to search for those missing and rescue those stranded on the fifth day since the disaster.
An ice-rock avalanche following a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border sent a torrent of water, mud and debris downstream, wiping out towns and villages, damaging crucial infrastructure and washing away hydropower stations through northern and central Nepal August 26.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the death toll has surged to 781.
As many as 272 bodies were recovered from Chitawan district, 199 from Nawalparasi East, 100 from Nawalparasi West, 58 from Gorkha, 50 from Dhading, 52 from Nuwakot, 37 from Tanahu and 13 from Rasuwa, officials said.
The NDRRMA further said that at least 2,502 people are still missing, while 9,435 people were rescued from flood-hit areas so far.