More human remains have been found as the shrinking shore line of Lake Mead recedes in the face of a brutal drought gripping the western United States.
In a statement, the National Park Service said the unidentified remains were spotted at Swim Beach in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area late on Monday afternoon.
The age of the remains is unknown and the park service said: “The investigation is ongoing.”
As the lake’s surface area has shrunk, various grim discoveries have been made at the popular south-western US recreation spot formed by the building of the Hoover Dam between Nevada and Arizona.
First, the decomposed body of a man in a barrel was found, apparently shot in the head. Las Vegas police say he had been killed between the mid-1970s and the early 1980s. The death is being investigated as a murder, possibly linked to the mob.
Then two women paddle boarding on the lake noticed bones on a newly surfaced sand bar with a skeleton emerging from the ground on it. There was no immediate evidence of foul play.
The water level of the vast reservoir – which is a vital resource for millions of people in the parched south-west – has dropped more than 170ft (52 meters) since 1983. The lake is now down to about 30% of capacity.
