Dozens of bodies were found floating down the Ganges River in eastern India as the country faces a vicious second wave of COVID-19 infections.
Indian authorities are determining the cause of death while health officials retrieved 71 bodies in Bihar state on Monday.
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Images of bloated and partially burned corpses in the river circulated on social media sparking speculations that they died from COVID-19.
More bodies were discovered washed up in neighboring Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.
Locals said the bodies were dumped because cremation sites were overwhelmed and families could not afford the wood for funeral pyres.
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Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are experiencing a surge on COVID-19 infections as hospitals are running out of oxygen and beds.
Ambulances are lining up outside crematoriums as workers can’t keep up with the piles of death.
India logged nearly 390,000 new COVID-19 cases and 3,876 deaths on Tuesday. (RA)
