NEW DELHI, April 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 bodies were recovered Sunday from a canal in northern Indian state of Haryana, police said.
The bodies were recovered during dredging of Bhakhra canal near Narwana in Jind district of Haryana, about 181 km north of Delhi, the capital of India.
"We have recovered 11 bodies from the canal here today," Ramesh Kumar, senior police official told media. "Of them one body is of a female. The process of identification have initiated as we have informed all the police stations in and around the state to check list of missing persons."
Police officials suspect the bodies have come from Punjab with flow of water. The bodies have been kept at Narwana civil hospital, police said.
"Some of the bodies are in good shape, while as other have got decomposed," the Kumar said.
The Bhakra canal carrying water from Bhakhra Nangal Dam flows from Himachal Pradesh into Punjab and later to Haryana. It mostly supplies irrigation water to the state of Haryana.
"Authorities have closed a part of canal to clean the rivulet bed of weed and mud," a local government official said. "The cleaning of canal is often being carried out from time to time."
Local media reports four human skulls were also recovered from canal.
Reports said the depth of the canal usually remains 18 feet throughout the year, and incidents of people drowning in the canal while taking bath are often reported during summers.
