KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP): Nepal Earthquake Death Toll Soared Past 3,700 and is expected to go much higher..."many communities perched on mountainsides are devastated or struggling to cope." authorities said....DEVELOPING STORY (VIDEO)

AP |  By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA and KATY DAIGLE Posted: 04/26/2015 10:00 pm EDT

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — The death toll from Nepal's earthquake soared past 3,700 Monday, and how much higher it would rise depended largely on the condition of vulnerable mountain villages that rescue workers were still struggling to reach two days after the disaster.

Reports received so far by the government and aid groups suggest that many communities perched on mountainsides are devastated or struggling to cope. Udav Prashad Timalsina, the top official for the Gorkha district, near the epicenter of Saturday's quake, said he was in desperate need of help.

"There are people who are not getting food and shelter. I've had reports of villages where 70 percent of the houses have been destroyed," he said. He said 223 people had been confirmed dead in the district but he presumed "the number would go up because there are thousands who are injured." more