Nepal has begun preparations to bury unidentified and unclaimed bodies recovered from flash floods that struck parts of the country on Wednesday. At least 734 bodies have been recovered so far. Chitwan district in southern Nepal, bordering India, reported the highest number of recoveries, with 233 bodies.

Authorities in Chitwan decided on Saturday to bury the bodies after hospitals and temporary facilities ran out of space to store them. Health officials warned that decomposing bodies and the foul smell from makeshift storage could pose a public health risk.

Officials are preserving DNA records from the remains before burial to allow future identification.