Indian authorities order probe after over 100 bodies found in river Ganges

Indian authorities on Wednesday ordered a probe into the discovery of more than 100 dead bodies found in the river Ganges after officials said they could be those of poor people who could not afford the cost of cremation.

The government in the northern state of Uttar said 30 bodies were discovered from the river's channel till late Tuesday but by Wednesday morning the number rose to 104, said Director General of Police A.K. Gupta in state capital Lucknow.

Police have sought a detailed report after finding the bodies in the river near the Periyaar Ghat, where bodies are generally cremated along the river front steps.

Inspector General of Police Ashutosh Pandey in the city of Kanpur near Lucknow said the bodies belonged to the families who could not afford a decent cremation as per Hindu traditions and dumped them in the river, while not excluding other angles of cause for the incident. Endi