---
title: "COVID Is Killing So Many People in India That They’re Burning Bodies in Parking Lots"
description: "India’s horrific coronavirus surge continues, with about 330,000 new cases and over 2,700 COVID deaths reported on Monday. The death toll has climbed so high so quickly that the country’s crematoriums, much like its healthcare system, have become overwhelmed. And now funeral pyres are popping up anywhere there’s room. That includes mass cremations in parking […]"
date: "2021-04-27"
modified: "2021-04-27"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/covid-killing-india-burning-bodies-parking-lots"
categories:
  - "Developments"
  - "Health & Medicine"
tags:
  - "coronavirus"
  - "covid19"
  - "health"
  - "india"
---

# COVID Is Killing So Many People in India That They’re Burning Bodies in Parking Lots

![https://unsplash.com/photos/9Dt4WutvwDs](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/india-copy.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Naveed Ahmed via Unsplash / Futurism\</em\>*

India's horrific coronavirus surge continues, with about [330,000 new cases](<https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data?country=~IND>) and over 2,700 COVID deaths reported on Monday.

The death toll has climbed so high and so quickly that the country's crematoriums, much [like its healthcare system](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/oxygen-failure-covid-treatment-ward>), have become completely overwhelmed. And now funeral pyres are popping up anywhere there's room. That includes mass cremations in parking lots and other open spaces, according to [disturbing video footage](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi5jCJdIvu4>) by *Inside Edition*.

One crematorium in Surat City was so overwhelmed from round-the-clock funerals that its chimney actually started to melt, [according to the *BBC*](<https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56855712>).

Hopefully, there's room to believe that the situation could improve in the coming weeks now that the US has finally agreed to release vaccines and medical supplies to India. That includes [60 million doses](<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/26/us/politics/biden-vaccine-india.html>) of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, *[The New York Times ](<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/26/us/politics/biden-vaccine-india.html>)*[reports](<https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/26/us/politics/biden-vaccine-india.html>), pending a safety review from regulators.

However, the US government's earlier reluctance to export vaccines until more Americans had been inoculated seems increasingly shortsighted given how hard the COVID-19 pandemic is currently hitting other countries.

"Sixty million doses," Asia Russial, the executive director of the AIDS advocacy group Health GAP told the *NYT*, "that's showing up to a four-alarm fire with an eyedropper full of water."

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)