By GLORIA EKE, Onitsha

Barely seven days after the fire incident that burnt 400 corpses into ashes at the mortuary of General Hospital, Onitsha in Anambra State, over 150 families who were at the morgue to receive the bodies for burial were still stranded and confused as of Friday, requesting that their relations’ bodies must be released as deposited, showing receipts issued by the hospital management.

They also alleged that the morticians set the bodies ablaze after they had removed the private parts for sale.

They appealed to the government to unravel the mystery behind the incident.

Our correspondent who visited the morgue observed that heaps of corpses were laid outside the premises, not minding the health hazards it could also cause to both the patients and their visitors as the burnt corpses looked unkempt outside the morgue.

The morticians, who have been hostile and aggressive refused to give reasons why the heaps of those bodies were left there despite that patients were seen waiting for their turn for treatments on their respective beds in the hospital.

One of the most devastating scenarios was a widow simply known as Mrs Okorie, who was shouting and wailing at the lobby of the morgue. She claimed that she deposited her dead son at the morgue two months ago but on her arrival to pick up the corpse, it has been burnt beyond recognition.

Mrs Okorie, who accused the morticians of selling the private parts of dead bodies and set them ablaze, wondered why no punishment has been offered to the morticians to explain how the incident took place.

She called on the government at all levels to look into the ugly situation and penalise whoever masterminded the act.

According to her, the claim that it was the ghosts that set the morgue ablaze was an unfounded lie and “is a taboo and offense to both God and humanity.”

It was, however, gathered that since the date of the incident, none of the affected families have been able to go home with their corpses. Some came with vehicles to convey the corpses but had to turn back when they discovered that the bodies have been burnt to ashes.

One of the family elders who spoke to newsmen outside the hospital, Nze Muonye Ikeli called on the government to set up a panel of inquiry and console those families who own the 400 corpses.

It could be recalled that such an incident has occurred at Enugwu General Hospital and up till now, the reason behind the mystery has not been unraveled. (Saturday Independent)

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