Chinese state media said 21 people had died in Tibet and 541 remained unaccounted for, bringing the overall toll from the August 26 glacial and mountain collapse to 1,308 deaths, with 5,624 people still missing.

More than 800 foreigners remain unaccounted for, including trekkers in the Himalaya mountains and pilgrims who had come to visit Mount Kailash in Tibet, sacred to Hindus and Buddhists.

At least 17 bodies have also been pulled from rivers in India, which officials presume to have floated downstream from Nepal. They are not included in the toll.