BOMBAY, India - The discovery of more bodies pushed the death toll from this week's monsoon floods in Bombay to more than 850 on Saturday, with officials warning it will likely rise to around 1,000.

Workers also began clearing away thousands of animal carcasses to prevent the outbreak of diseases in the rain-battered city and its outlying areas

Soldiers, navy divers and other rescuers have been searching for survivors since heavy monsoon rains and landslides battered Maharashtra state, the province surrounding Bombay, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Chief Secretary Prem Kumar, the state's top official, said the final death toll could be more than 1,000 as rescuers feared more bodies are still buried under debris in remote areas.