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Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Milan Closes Main Crematorium as Bodies Piled Up


Sat 04 Apr 2020 | 03:19 PM
Yassmine Elsayed

Italian city of Milan closed its main crematorium until the end of the month, with the aim of dealing with the large number of bodies, which had been piled up by the new Coronavirus.

The city officials admitted that they are suffering "a continuous increase in the number of bodies waiting to be burned."

A statement for the city council said that the waiting period for cremation in the "Crematorio de Lamberti" crematorium could be up to 20 days.

The council added on its website that a longer waiting period may cause problems related to hygiene and health.

This thriving city, located in the epidemic center in Italy; Lombardy region, with a population of about 1.4 million is considered to be a world fashion capital and financial center.

It has been subject to quarantine since February.

Lombardy reported its first death with Covid-19 in Europe on February 21, while the number, nationwide, today has topped 13 thousand deaths and more than 100 thousand infections.

The city council announced that in order to "help families in this difficult moment, it will be possible, starting today, to bury their loved ones at no cost."

"Our funeral staff work without fatigue and with the highest levels of responsibility," said Roberto Coco, a member of the Milan Civil Service Council.

Bergamo, which is located to the north-east of Milan and in the heart of the epidemic, received coffins throughout the month of March for funerals for the dead.

Bergamo was eventually forced to send dozens of bodies per week to the crematoria of neighboring cities.

"The large number of victims means that the Bergamo Holocaust was unable to absorb the number alone," the mayor of the city, Giorgio Gori, earlier told France Press.