Fourth body unearthed in Lake Mead near Las Vegas as a result of record drought

record drought

Lake Mead unearths fourth body

The Southwest of the USA is also drier than ever. In Lake Mead near Las Vegas, the otherwise largest water reservoir in the USA, the water level is so low that a fourth body has now been discovered.

Like many areas in the Northern Hemisphere, Lake Mead, which supplies Las Vegas with water and electricity, is suffering from a record drought. Water levels on Wednesday were the lowest since April 1937, when the reservoir began to fill. Because of the low water level, some things are revealed that seemed to be hidden forever: On Saturday, the local national park authorities announced that more human remains had been found – the fourth since May.

The authorities had already stated in May that they expected bodies to be found in view of the falling water level. It was not until July 25th that the third such find was made: According to the US National Parks Administration, a man alerted the authorities and informed them that the remains of a human had been found. The forensic medicine should now clarify the cause of death. The national park administration initially did not provide any further information in view of the ongoing investigation.

Mafia past of the lake

Lake Mead water levels are declining significantly due to the ongoing drought in the western United States. This led to the first gruesome find at the beginning of May: day trippers discovered a barrel with the remains of a person on the dried-up shore of the reservoir who had probably been shot in the head in the late 1970s or early 1980s – when the lake was still more than was 30 meters deep. Las Vegas was an organized crime hotspot at the time of the murder.

Just days following the body was found in the barrel, another body was discovered. There is no evidence of a crime here. But when the news of the discovery came up, a man living in Spain got in touch. He is convinced that the remains are those of his father. He himself was three years old when his father drowned in Lake Mead at the age of 22. He was out on a speedboat with a friend when they hit a stern wave and both men were thrown from the boat. Only one survived. The body was never recovered.

Water and power source for Las Vegas

Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It was created in the 1930s as part of the Hoover Dam project and provides drinking water to 25 million people. Up to 100 cubic meters of water flow through the turbines of the Hoover Dam every second. The power plant generates around four billion kWh of electricity a year. They mainly supply the 650,000-inhabitant desert city of Las Vegas with its enormous water and energy requirements. (kes/AFP)