Corpses burnt ‘beyond recognition’ in Anambra mortuary

A fire outbreak erupted at the mortuary section of a general hospital in Anambra state on Saturday, consuming corpses.

The fire was said to have started around 5:40pm at the hospital located at Enugwu-Ukwu in Njikoka local government area of the state.

Relatives, who had deposited remains of their loved ones at the mortuary, were said to have besieged the hospital and could not control their emotions as most of the corpses were burnt beyond recognition.

Haruna Mohammed, state police public relations officer, said the cause of the fire was unknown.

He said the fire had caused extensive damage to the building and the occupants before fire servicemen arrived to quench it.

Mohammed did not give the figure of the affected corpses but said the police had started investigating the incident.

“Police patrol team, led by the Divisional Police Officer in-charge of Nimo Police Division, CSP Benjamin Egu on arrival at the scene, contacted fire Service department, which later put out the fire with the help of local volunteers,” Mohammed said.

“However, the fire caused extensive damage in the building as almost all the corpses at the mortuary were burnt beyond recognition.

“The cause of the fire incident is still unknown but the case is under investigation to ascertain circumstances surrounding the incident.”