Kathmandu, Aug. 29 -- Authorities in Chitwan began burying 229 unidentified bodies on Saturday after they were recovered in the district following Wednesday's devastating flood in Rasuwa, citing public health risks from decomposition.

Of the 233 bodies recovered from the disaster so far, only four have been identified, according to the District Security Committee, Chitwan. The remaining 229 bodies are being kept at holding centres and health facilities.

The bodies and human remains recovered from the riverbanks and kept at various facilities had decomposed to the point that visual identification was no longer possible, according to the committee. Health experts have warned that further decomposition and the foul odour from the remains c...