Nepal has commenced mass burials for unidentified victims of the devastating floods and landslides that hit the Himalayan region days ago.

Authorities have started digging graves, particularly in Chitwan and Devghat, as hundreds of bodies are planned for mass burials.

Ganesh Aryal, chief district officer of Bharatpur in Chitwan, said the development was inevitable, citing the health risk of decomposing bodies.

“We had no other choice, so we were forced to take this step. We were concerned about the public health risk posed by the rapid decomposition of the bodies,” Mr Aryal stated.

Authorities noted that 96 unidentified bodies in the forest were buried on Saturday, adding that over 100 others were scheduled for burial on Sunday.

The development came amid efforts by recovery teams to retrieve victims from rivers and piles of debris.

A massive flash flood swept through the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday, ravaging riverine areas in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, and other communities.

Authorities said over 500 people had been killed, over 1,500 injured, while over 1,000 people were still missing.

UN Women, in a recent statement, noted that an estimated 157,050 women were affected by the incident.