Experts Mystified by Shrinking Lake That Holds 800 Human Remains

EXPERTS are mystified by a shrinking lake that holds 800 human remains. A new survey has laid to rest some theories on the lake of skeletons, but has raised yet more questions.

The lake of skeletons has seen scientists confused for around 80 years after a discovery in 1941 by a British forest ranger. Roopkund Lake changes with the seasons and actually shrinks and grows throughout the year. It is located at 5,029 metres above sea level, and when the water level is low the remains of around 800 people can be seen.

The remains have caused much controversy over the years as people have tried to come up with theories on how the dead bodies ended up in the lake. One theory was that the bodies came from an army who tragically died in battle and were swallowed by the lake, while another theory suggested that a cataclysmic event had wiped out the local population.

The new survey though has thrown some light on the issue but has also raised more questions. Researchers from around the world analysed the remains and it has been proven that the bodies date from different years, and also come from around the globe.

The research was published in the Nature Communications journal and shows that some of the remains date from a thousand years apart.

Lead author of the study Eadaoin Harney, explained to the BBC that, “It upends any explanations that involved a single catastrophic event that lead to their deaths.

“It is still not clear what happened at Roopkund Lake, but we can now be certain that the deaths of these individuals cannot be explained by a single event.

“We are still searching for answers.”

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