On Wednesday, India reported 4,529 deaths in just 24 hours, setting a new high for the amount of Covid-19 deaths in a single day. This was previously held by the US on January 12, when it recorded 4,475 deaths. This marks the ninth time that India has recorded more than 4,000 deaths in a single day. The rising death toll follows a massive second wave that devastated the nation and resulted in oxygen shortages and overcrowding at hospitals. Crematoriums were also witnessing a lack of space and wood due to Covid-19 deaths.
In Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state, the Bhairav Ghat cremation ground has received more than 1,000 Covid-19 victims since mid-April, according to an employee. The record-breaking death toll comes just a week after 100 bodies were found floating in the Ganges River between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Authorities stated that people in nearby villages were likely unable to find space or relatives to carry the bodies and therefore turned to the Hindu practice of water burials. Water burials are currently illegal in India due to sanitation concerns.
Read More: India’s Covid-19 Daily Death Toll Hits World’s High
