The bodies of the 19 victims, believed to have been caused by Covid, were washed ashore on the Ganges River in eastern India as the pandemic spread and flooded the country’s largest port city, Kolkata. Local official Ashok Kumar said about 40 bodies were washed away in the river on Tuesday morning, local media and officials reported.

The bodies were thrown into the river, Kumar said, with reports suggesting up to 100 bodies could be in the water. The bodies were found floating in Uttar Pradesh and belonged to families who may not have been able to cremate or bury them, officials said. We have instructed concerned officials to dispose of the bodies, either bury them or cremate them, “Kumar told AFP news agency.

There are fears that the bodies could lead to further explosions and infections in the area, as stray dogs could eventually feast on the rotting flesh.

Similar sightings have been reported in other parts of the country, where the bodies of at least five to seven people were washed up on the banks of the Gangs River in Uttar Pradesh state. They were bloated and had not had water for “at least” five or seven days, an official from KK Upadhyay said.

Ghazipur District Court (MP) Singh said an investigation had been launched to find out where the bodies had come from. We are trying to find out where they came from, “said Ghazipsiur Singh, a deputy. It is believed they are the ones who threw them into the river, revealing the scale of the Covid emergency in India.

Kumar said authorities had confirmed that the victims of the coronavirus came from the same village as the one on the Ganges, about 30 km (30 miles) from Ghazipur.

Other residents speculated that the local government had played a role in disposing of the bodies in the water. One concern about the bodies found in the river was that family members had disposed of relatives who had died during the 19th century.

They barely noticed they were polluting the river, “a resident told the Tribune of India. Dozens of bodies believed to be among Covid’s 19 victims were washed ashore on the banks of the Ganges in northern India, authorities said.

Local official Ashok Kumar said about 40 bodies were washed up on the banks of the Ganges near the village of Ghatkopar in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In recent days, numerous bodies have been washed up on the estuary in a remote area of the Indian capital, Kolkata. The pandemic has spread to more than 100,000 people in India and the United States, and has overwhelmed hospitals, hospitals and health facilities across the country, according to the WHO.

According to official statistics, about 4000 people die of coronavirus every day in India, and the death toll has reached almost 250,000. India has recorded more than 750,500 new cases since the start of the year, bringing the total to 22 million. The number of bodies washed ashore in Buxar and surrounding areas could be as high as 100, it said.

The Guardian reported that local official Ashok Kumar said about 40 bodies had washed up on the banks of the Gangs River in Buxar, about 100 kilometres south of Delhi. A group of people believed to be the 19 victims of COVID were also washed ashore in the same area, heightening fears that the pandemic is taking an even greater toll than reported.

According to media reports, the number of bodies could be as high as 100, with some media reports saying as many as 10. Media reports have said up to 50 people were killed, some as young as 20, others say they were killed.

Residents told AFP news agency they believed the bodies had been dumped because the cremation sites were overcrowded and relatives could not afford the wood for a stake.

Dozens of bodies of suspected CODID19 victims have washed up in India’s Ganges, Indian police have said. Only 2.5% of the population is fully vaccinated and, according to the World Health Organisation, beneficiaries are meeting in the capital Delhi for the first time in more than a decade.

Dozens of bloated and decomposing bodies, believed to be 19 victims, have washed ashore on the banks of the Ganges in northern India, authorities said Monday.

Locals said they believed the bodies had been dumped in the river because a cremation site was overwhelmed and could not afford timber. Kumar said the officials involved had been instructed to dispose of them, either bury them or cremate them. The pandemic has spread to other parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and has swept over the largest city in Varanasi state, which is home to more than 1.5 million people.

Numerous bodies were washed up on the banks of the Ganges in the city, which local authorities say is one of India’s poorest areas.