Villagers along the river say cremation expenses rose during pandemic, forcing many to immerse or bury bodies in sand.
![Relatives carry the body of a man for cremation after they, according to the relatives, were denied permission for his burial, past shallow sand graves of people, some of whom are suspected to have died from COVID-19, on the banks of the Ganges River in Shringverpur on the outskirts of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh [File: Ritesh Shukla/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-05-21T151414Z_644953547_RC23KN9NWGON_RTRMADP_3_HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-INDIA-GRAVES.jpg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
![Deen Dayal Verma, a crematorium worker in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, sits in the shade inside the crematorium compound where he works [Saurabh Sharma/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pic1.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
Villagers along the river say cremation expenses rose during pandemic, forcing many to immerse or bury bodies in sand.
In a village in Uttar Pradesh as many as 18 people have died in three weeks, but without testing the cause is ‘unknown’.
![A house in the village whose occupant has tested positive for COVID-19 [Saurabh Sharma/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/House-with-an-active-case-barricaded-by-the-administration.jpg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)