Nepalese authorities have acknowledged they have been able to identify just 20 of the 794 people killed in last week’s devastating flash floods, even as preparations are underway to bury unidentified victims in mass graves.

Mortuaries in Kathmandu and nearby districts are now overwhelmed by bodies recovered from flood-ravaged communities, while many more remains are being held in temporary shelters as officials struggle to manage the growing toll.

The crisis has been compounded by the fact that many hospitals in Nepal lack dedicated mortuary facilities, placing additional strain on rescue teams searching through areas devastated along the Nepal-Tibet border.

Officials say more than 2,400 people remain missing, and the confirmed death toll of 794 is expected to continue rising as recovery efforts press on.

The missing include 48 British nationals, while China has said a further 15 people are unaccounted for in Tibet, though it remains unclear whether that number overlaps with the figures released by Nepal.

Bodies that have been recovered have become so decomposed that they are virtually unidentifiable after being in water and thick mud for days with some recovered almost 100 miles from the flood’s epicentre with others found in rivers in neighbouring India.

The Nepal government has now ordered that all unidentified and unclaimed bodies be buried in mass graves after DNA samples are taken from them in the hope that they can be identified at a later date.

One official told the Daily Mail: ‘We have to do this to prevent a public health crisis. They will be given dignified burials, and we will take photographs of the bodies and DNA samples so that they can hopefully be identified at some point in the future.

‘We do not have the infrastructure to keep these bodies until they are identified by their loved ones. The scale of the disaster is so big that we cannot cope with the number of dead we are finding, and we have not been able to identify the majority of them.’

In emotional scenes, scores of people gathered outside one of Kathmandu’s main hospitals in an attempt to find their missing loved ones.

Around 60 bodies from the flood zone, located more than three hours away, are lying in the morgue of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital with 30 people who survived being treated by doctors, including a five-year-old girl.

The youngster, who has been named as Manisha, was found under rubble after rescuers first thought that they could hear a cat and then realised it was a child.

It took around two hours to dig her out and she was then flown to the hospital in the Nepalese capital.

Dr Gopal Sedain, hospital spokesman said: ‘She’s doing well and recovering, which is incredible given that she was under the rubble for almost four days. She’s one of the few lucky ones.

‘Our morgue only has capacity for 50 people, and we cannot take any more. From tomorrow, the bodies of those found in the flood will be taken to an area outside Kathmandu and buried.’

He added: ‘So far, we have only managed to identify one and we handed that body over to the family. But it has been impossible to identify any of the others and that is heartbreaking for us and their relatives. But we cannot cope any longer with the number of dead bodies we are receiving.’

Posters of missing people line the wall of the hospital, showing them smiling at the camera in happier times.

The heart-breaking images are accompanied by contact details for their loved ones and details of their age and what they did for a living. Some even have copies of the passports of the missing along with maps showing their last known location.

Nearby, people patiently queued at a desk to provide the names of the missing or checking to see if they have been found.

Stony faced officials seated behind the desk directed them to a website of the Nepal police which contains pictures of the dead. The images are too disturbing to share but show decomposed and mutilated faces that are barely recognisable.

Throughout the day, there was a steady stream of people arriving at the hospital to put up posters or checking if there was any news on their loved ones who are missing.

One man called Prem revealed that this was his fifth visit to the hospital in three days.

He said: ‘I’m searching for my cousin who was working on the Nepal-Tibet border. I’ve been on the website and it’s not easy looking at it. There are horrific pictures of dead people whose faces are in such bad condition that you can’t recognise them.

‘I’ve been roaming around Kathmandu and nearby areas going from hospital to hospital but there is no news.’

Shaligram arrived holding a poster with a picture of his brother staring proudly at the camera in his army uniform along with a copy of his military identification card.

He cried: ‘Our whole family is devastated, we have absolutely no idea where my brother is. He served his country, the job was his life, but our fear is that his life now has come to an end. We’re so desperate, we just want his body so that we can give him the funeral that he deserves.’

But the decision to bury the dead is adding to the agony of those searching for missing friends and family members. The majority of Nepalese are Hindu or Buddhist who believe in the spiritual importance of cremating a body on open-air pyres.

Shaligram added: ‘For us that is something very sacred. Our only hope is that if my brother is buried, we will be able to identify him in the future and then we will take his body and do a traditional cremation. That is the only way his soul will find any peace.’

Funerals are also traditionally carried out quickly, often within hours of a person dying.

Similar scenes of desperate relatives searching for the missing are unfolding at other hospitals across the city and surrounding area.

At the Kathmandu Trauma Centre, people gathered to place missing posters on the wall and register the details of their loved ones as ambulances with their sirens blazing sped in and out the facility carrying the dead or injured from the flood zone.

The hospital is treating around 50 rescued people while another 20 are in its tiny morgue, which usually has room for half that number.

Ritu Raj Aral, hospital spokesman said: ‘We are doing what we can for the living but for the dead we will now bury them as quickly as we can before being able to establish who they are.

‘It’s not easy for us because this goes against Nepali traditions, but these are desperate times for our nation.’

Tributes are pouring in for Helch, the prolific graffiti artist whose huge roller-painted murals became familiar sights on motorway bridges, near Windsor Castle and on walls far beyond the UK.

Friends and admirers have remembered Michael Purdy, 34, an artist whose reach stretched across dozens of countries and whose work appeared on city rooftops, public walls and, most recently, in a successful December gallery exhibition attended by collectors.

Among those paying respects on Saturday was veteran club music DJ Doc Scott, who shared a picture of one of Helch’s canvas pieces alongside the simple message: “RIP Helch.”

Frontline, the well-known graffiti magazine and online platform, also honoured the street artist on Instagram, posting a compilation of his vivid pieces and writing: “Just heard sad news of Helch passing away. RIP Helch.”

For years, Helch’s bold graffiti art caught the eye of both commuters and contemporary art fans, turning everyday routes into unexpected showcases of colour and scale.

His graffiti on motorway bridges were regarded by some as entertaining sign posts for their travels home from work or the airport, with pieces seen on the M4, M1 and M25.

But not everyone was a fan, with royal sources previously claiming the late Queen Elizabeth II was upset over 60ft high white letters reading Helch near Windsor Castle.

His tags were even the subject of a sold-out show at BSMT Space in trendy Dalston, east London, where his pieces sold for tens of thousands of pounds.

In one of his final social media posts he shared a photo of his 224-page photo book, titled Lost But Living.

The glossy publication features his work across 12 countries including America and Thailand during the period of 2022-24.

The circumstances around his death have not been disclosed but friends have been left reeling by his sudden passing.

One graffiti artist told the Daily Mail: ‘Helch was at the top of his game, having smashed it for years and funded the entire thing himself.

‘He lived life on his terms and had in many ways what could be described as total freedom. He did not submit to a life of drudgery.

‘He is a legend and will be greatly missed in London and the UK. It is not for me to say any more about his death.’

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Meanwhile Zonk DDS, a notorious graffiti writer in London, shared a tribute online, which read: ‘Iconic British artist gone far too soon. Thoughts are with his family.’

And SMT crew, a nationwide graffiti collective, paid tribute to Helch as ‘a big figure’ within the scene.

Sharing a photo of the artist’s massive vibrant piece on top of a Shoreditch car park, a spokesman wrote online: ‘As a crew we are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Helch.

‘A big figure in the London and UK scene. RIP Helch.’

Graffiti artist Lord wrote: ‘Sad news man, Helch was a genuine good brother, had good banter I used to give him stick how long they [his roller pieces] take.

‘One of the best roller writers we ever had.’

Bams, an active graffiti writer across London, posted a photo of Helch’s work at Paddington Station with the message: ‘So sad man’.

Another tribute read: ‘Sad news to hear one of, if not London’s biggest writer when it comes to rollers has passed away. What a shame. Got to give credit where credit is due, your work will live on for the rest of all our times.

‘A London king man, prayers are with your friends and family. RIP Helch.’

Other fans of the artist flooded social media with tributes and photos of Helch’s roller pieces, one with the caption ‘sad news. Good guy. Made refreshing cool moves in the scene.’

Another message read: ‘RIP Helch buddy. Admired your dedication to graffiti and showing it to the man, every time.’

One note from an artist who knew Helch contained the words, ‘Take care of yourselves and loved ones before it’s too late’.

Tributes were even paid as far as New York City, with a compilation of his photos shared online with the message: ‘He was known in London for being a legend.

‘He brought some refreshing graff[iti] to NYC a few years ago and I enjoyed going across all these spots as they appeared.’