COVID-19 bodies being disposed of in India rivers as cremation costs rise

The bodies of Indians believed to have died of COVID-19 are lining the river Ganges in northern parts of the country as cremation costs have forced many to deal with the remains of their loved ones personally amid a massive, deadly surge of the virus.

The New York Times reported that dozens of bodies, at least 30, had been discovered by authorities near Chausa, a town in the country’s northeast, with authorities suspecting but being in most cases unable to prove that the deaths were a result of the virus.

Some witnesses put the number of bodies discovered as high as 100.

Local tradition, according to the Times, leads some to weigh the bodies of the dead down with stones before releasing them into the Ganges, which is a holy river in Hinduism, but local officials told the Times that the number of recovered bodies has shot up in recent weeks.

“I’ve never seen so many bodies,” Arun Kumar Srivastava, a government doctor based in Chausa, told the Times of the situation. “Definitely, more deaths are happening.”

India has experienced a massive second wave of infections in recent weeks that has overwhelmed many hospitals in the country and left thousands struggling to find medical care for very sick family members or even themselves.

The problem has been exacerbated by a shortage of medical staff, oxygen supplies and vaccines, according to a number of news reports.

India set single-day records for new COVID-19 cases at least three times last week as health officials continue to battle the surge and a number of countries, including the U.S., have offered aid, such as vaccine materials, COVID-19 tests and oxygen supplies.