KATHMANDU — Crowds of anxious relatives packed hospital corridors across Nepal’s capital on Monday, frantically scanning casualty rosters following the nation's deadliest natural disaster since the catastrophic 2015 earthquake.

Emergency crews continued digging through treacherous mud and wreckage, but optimism is fading fast. Inside overwhelmed medical wards, distraught family members clutched photographs, pleading for any news of missing kin.

Officials warn that the confirmed casualty count will likely surge as communication lines to devastated rural districts are slowly restored.