Nepal has begun temporarily burying unidentified flood victims as prolonged exposure to water and decomposition make identification increasingly difficult. So far, 903 bodies have been recovered, while 4,200 people remain unaccounted for, the government said on Monday.

Medical teams are collecting DNA samples from every victim before burial to enable families to match records at a later stage. The remains will be exhumed for necessary religious rituals once the victims are identified, a senior official of Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

According to the official, more than 10,000 people have been rescued from the flood-hit regions, including more than 323 foreign nationals. Around 590 foreign nationals from 39 countries remain missing.

India has also stepped up its assistance, with an 18-member forensic team specialising in DNA analysis already in Nepal and an 11-member specialised tunnel-rescue team working with Nepali authorities in the badly affecte...