Nepal earthquake
Locals search for their valuable goods among collapsed houses in Sankhu village in, Kathmandu, Nepal on May 16, 2015 following the second major earthquake. The second major earthquake hit Nepal on May 12, 2015 as the country recovers from last month's devastating earthquake, in Nepal. Getty Images

As the death toll surpasses 8,500 following the two major earthquakes that hit Nepal since 25 April, the country's home ministry on 17 May marked the quakes as the deadliest on record.

The death toll from the deadly earthquakes and aftershocks now stands at 8,583 as rescue teams work round the clock to recover the still missing people from remote villages.

On 25 April, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal followed by another major 7.4-magnitude quake on May 12, 2015.

The last major earthquake to hit the Himalayan country was registered in 1934, when an estimated 8,519 people were reported dead.

According to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, an estimated 58 foreigners have died and 112 are still missing following the two earthquakes, reported Reuters.

The father of a 23-year-old student, Mat, who was missing said, reported the Guardian: "I desperately wanted to stay and search for Matt among the fallen rocks and boulders. I felt I had failed my son. I was distraught."

After Matt's body was found, his father, Briton Greg Carapiet, said: "The whole thing has been so frustrating. I just wanted to see Matthew's body before he was repatriated and I wasn't allowed. It was an awful, awful day. I managed in the end but it was through sheer perseverance and not giving up."

Meanwhile, Hollywood actress Michelle Yeoh is in Kathmandu to help with the relief efforts.

Describing the "biggest thing" affecting the residents as being "fear", Yeoh urged the international community members, "who are living a good safe life at home" to join in the efforts to help find the several thousand people who still remain missing in Nepal, reported BBC News.

Nepal earthquake
Actress Michelle Yeoh (C), a 'Live to Love Global Ambassador', inspects a building damaged by a devastating earthquake in Nepal at the Amitabha Drukpa Nunnery on the outskirts of Kathmandu on May 17, 2015. Relief teams have been working for weeks to provide water, food, shelter and medical assistance after the first, 7.8-magnitude quake hit Nepal on April 25, flattening whole villages and leaving thousands without shelter with just weeks to go until the monsoon rains. Getty Images
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