DENVER — The body of a 79-year-old woman was found beside the Big Thompson River, authorities said Monday, bringing to eight the death toll from the massive flooding in Colorado.
Evelyn M. Starner was found Saturday after she suffered blunt force trauma and drowned, Larimer County authorities said.
Starner was previously listed as missing and presumed dead after her house in the Big Thompson Canyon was swept away. It wasn’t clear why the discovery was not announced sooner.
Two other people were still missing and presumed dead — a 60-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man, both from Larimer County.
The number of unaccounted people dwindled to six as improving communications and road access allowed authorities to contact 54 people over the weekend who had not been heard from.
The floods caused damage across 17 counties and nearly 2,000 square miles. Some 200 miles of state highways and 50 bridges were destroyed.
Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Colorado on Monday and took a tour in an Army helicopter to survey the damage and recovery efforts. He met later with Governor John Hickenlooper and Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. ‘‘I promise you, I promise you, there will be help,’’ Biden said, trying to quell concerns that a possible government shutdown could derail relief efforts.
The federal government will reimburse the state up to $100 million for road repairs, Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Amy Ford said. But the state hopes to raise that amount to $500 million, which Ford said was the cap for mid-Atlantic states rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy in 2012.