Indian local authorities in the Buxar district of India’s eastern state of Bihar, has confirmed the discovery of 71 dead bodies washed ashore along the banks of the river Ganges are suspected to be of Covid-19 victims.
“We have conducted the postmortem of 71 bodies on Monday and preserved their DNA for future investigation,” said Kanhaiya Kumar, the district’s public relations officer. “Bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition and had floated in from the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh.”
Locals, however, dispute the district administration’s claims that the bodies came from the neighboring state.
“The fact remains that the water in the river Ganges is shallow these days, and at many places between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the river is dry. How can the bodies come from the other state?” Kapindra Kishore, a Buxar-based journalist, told media. "The villagers are claiming over 100 bodies were floating, and they say that many deaths are taking place in the rural areas that are not being reported.”
The discovery sent shock waves and panic among locals in the Chausa town of the Buxar district on Monday after they found the half-burnt, decomposed bodies along the river, confirming media reports that the pandemic had spread to rural areas of India, the global epicenter of the pandemic.
“The situation is really grim in Buxar and adjoining areas, and the discovery of the bodies at Chausa shows how bad we are placed,” said Dr. Mahendra Prasad, a Buxar-based doctor and district president of the Indian Medical Association.
“We have conducted the postmortem of 71 bodies on Monday and preserved their DNA for future investigation,” said Kanhaiya Kumar, the district’s public relations officer. “Bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition and had floated in from the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh.”
Locals, however, dispute the district administration’s claims that the bodies came from the neighboring state.
“The fact remains that the water in the river Ganges is shallow these days, and at many places between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the river is dry. How can the bodies come from the other state?” Kapindra Kishore, a Buxar-based journalist, told media. "The villagers are claiming over 100 bodies were floating, and they say that many deaths are taking place in the rural areas that are not being reported.”
The discovery sent shock waves and panic among locals in the Chausa town of the Buxar district on Monday after they found the half-burnt, decomposed bodies along the river, confirming media reports that the pandemic had spread to rural areas of India, the global epicenter of the pandemic.
“The situation is really grim in Buxar and adjoining areas, and the discovery of the bodies at Chausa shows how bad we are placed,” said Dr. Mahendra Prasad, a Buxar-based doctor and district president of the Indian Medical Association.
