After Bihar, hundreds of floating corpses spotted in Ganga in UP`s Ghazipur

The locals suspect the bodies floating in the river to be of Covid-19 patients. The locals believe that due to the absence of any COVID-19 protocols at rural crematoriums, their families must have consigned the bodies in the river.

New Delhi: A day after several decomposed bodies were found in the Ganga river in Bihar's Buxar, hundreds of floating corpses were spotted in the holy river but this time in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh.

According to reports, the tragic sight of several corpses floating on the river and the foul smell coming out of them have sparked anger and concerns among the locals about the spread of coronavirus infection in the area.

The locals suspect these are the bodies of the Covid-19 patients. They believe that due to the absence of any clear COVID-19 guidelines for cremation in rural areas, their families must have consigned the bodies to the river.

There is a growing fear among the local residents that the presence of dead bodies will contaminate river water which will further lead to the rapid spread of the deadly virus. Meanwhile, the local administration has started investigating the matter.

"We have got the information. Our officers are present on the spot and an investigation is underway. We are trying to find out where they came from," MP Singh, the District Magistrate of Ghazipur, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The incident comes a day after over 100 decomposed bodies washed up on the banks of Ganga in Buxar, spreading panic among locals about a Covid spike in the area.

Referring to the Buxar incident, Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday termed the incident as "unfortunate" and asked concerned states to take immediate cognizance.

"The incident of corpses found floating in Ganga in Buxar region of Bihar is unfortunate. This is definitely a matter of investigation. The Modi government is committed to the cleanliness of `mother` Ganga. This incident is unexpected. The concerned states should take immediate cognizance in this regard," Shekhawat tweeted.

KK Upadhyay, Buxar Sub Divisional Officer (SDO), said, “Around a dozen of corpses were spotted in the Ganga river on Monday.

"10 to 12 corpses that were seen in Ganga came floating from a distance. It seems these corpses were floating for the last five to seven days. We do not have a tradition of immersing bodies in rivers. We are making arrangements to cremate these corpses," he added.

Upadhyay said it is a matter of investigation to ascertain if these corpses come from Varanasi, Allahabad, or any other place.