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Parched soil at Lake Mead (photo taken May 10)
Photo: John Locher/AP
The third body in three months has been found at the US reservoir Lake Mead near Las Vegas.
According to the US National Parks Administration, a witness alerted the authorities and informed them about the discovery of a human's remains.
The forensic medicine should now clarify the cause of death.
The park administration initially did not provide any further information in view of the ongoing investigation.
Lake Mead water levels have dropped significantly due to the ongoing drought in the western United States.
This led to a grisly find in early May: on the dried-up shore of the reservoir, day trippers discovered a barrel containing the remains of a person who had probably been shot in the head in the late 1970s or early 1980s.
Las Vegas was a stronghold of organized crime at the time.
Just days after the body was found in the barrel, another body was discovered.
There is no evidence of a crime here.
The authorities had already stated in May that they expected more bodies to be found in view of the falling water level.
Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States.
It was created in the 1930s as part of the Hoover Dam project.
It supplies 25 million people with drinking water.
But because of the drought, the water level has dropped to its lowest level since 1937.
Scientists say climate change is contributing to the drought in the western United States.
The low water level has now also had consequences for leisure activities and the economy around the lake.
According to the park administration, some jetties can no longer be operated.
The US Bureau of Reclamation recently called on states in the Colorado River basin to reduce water use over the next 18 months.
fek/AFP
