Ballia, May 17: Two bodies were spotted on the bank of the Ganga at a village here, police said on Monday. Last week, Ballia residents had claimed that over 50 corpses were seen floating in the river in the district, triggering suspicion that these were of COVID patients.

The two bodies were spotted at Maldepur village under the Phephana police station area on Sunday and their last rites were performed on Monday, area SHO Sanjay Tripathi said. He said of the two bodies, one was half burnt. Dead Bodies in Ganga River: 7 More Bodies Seen Floating in UP's Ballia District; Total Count at 52.

Police have started patrolling the river here and has told villagers not to dispose of bodies in the Ganga. Tripathi said the flood unit of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) is also patrolling the river.

"People living near the river bank in villages have been told that if anyone is facing difficulty in getting the last rites done, they can take the help of police or the district administration," Tripathi said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)