US mega drought reveals body in lake
Boaters on Lake Mead near Las Vegas find corroded barrel with sinister contents
Aworsening drought has revealed a four-decadeold body dumped in a US lake, police said, warning that falling water levels would lead to the uncovering of more corpses.
Boaters on Lake Mead near Las Vegas discovered a corroded barrel with its sinister contents during a weekend pleasure trip. Detectives probing the mystery say the contents point to its having been in the huge reservoir since the 1980s.
“It’s going to be a very difficult case” to solve, Las Vegas Metro police officer Ray Spencer told the local 8newsnow. com, without giving details. “I would say there is a very good chance as the water level drops that we are going to find additional human remains.”
Nearby Las Vegas has historically been a hive of mobrelated villainy, with Mafiosi commonly believed to dispose of the bodies of their enemies in deep water.
A historic drought that is gripping much of the western United States is putting a strain on water sources, with reservoirs and lakes dropping to unprecedently low levels.
Lake Mead, which is fed by the Colorado River after it has passed through the Grand Canyon, is the largest manmade reservoir in the US.
Lowest levels since 1937
It was created in the 1930s with the construction of the Hoover Dam and supplies drinking water to 25 million people. But its current level, at just 321 metres, is its lowest since 1937.
Authorities last month said intake valves were now visible, a worrying indicator of the health of the reservoir. Scientists say the decadeslong megadrought is being exacerbated by global warming.
The unchecked burning of fossil fuels has caused our planet to warm, changing weather patterns and sparking violent storms in some areas while others bake in painful droughts.