Aerial photo of a crematorium on the Ganges River in India. Traces of bodies burned with firewood remain here and there along the riverbank. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] As the rainy season begins, hundreds of bodies of COVID-19 victims indiscriminately buried near the Ganges River are being swept away.
On the 30th (local time), BBC and others reported that due to the monsoon rains causing the river to swell in India, hundreds of bodies buried along the banks near the Ganges River were washed away.
The media quoted a local official from the Allahabad area saying, "In the past three weeks since the rainy season fully began, 150 bodies have been swept away in the area," and "It is estimated that 500 to 600 bodies are still buried around the riverbanks."
India, where 80% of the population are Hindus, prefers cremation. However, as crematoriums have become saturated and funeral costs have soared, bereaved families buried bodies near the Ganges River.
Local residents said, "Many bodies were secretly discarded," and predicted that hundreds more bodies will surface in the future.
Sonu Chandel, who works at a crematorium, told AFP in an interview, "It was heartbreaking to see poor people having no choice but to bury their loved ones like this," but also said, "It is very frightening that the rising water level due to the monsoon is causing bodies to float downstream."
Meanwhile, concerns are rising that improperly handled bodies could further deteriorate the water quality of the Ganges River. The Ganges, considered a sacred river by Hindus, attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually who bathe in it and scatter cremated ashes.
As the situation worsened, Allahabad city deployed officials and police to recover the bodies. However, with the onset of the monsoon season and increasing river currents, their work is slowing down.
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