Eight bodies of Covid-19 patients cremated on single pyre in Maharashtra

Due to shortage of space, eight bodies of COVID-19 patients were cremated on a single pyre in Beed district. Residents reportedly opposed the cremation of bodies at crematoriums in Ambajogai town.

Beed: Eight bodies of COVID-19 patients were cremated on a single pyre due to shortage of space at a makeshift crematorium in Maharashtra's Beed district, a civic official said on Wednesday.

Since residents had opposed the cremation of bodies of COVID-19 patients at crematoriums in Ambajogai town, local authorities had to identify another place away from there to perform the victims' last rites and space was limited there, he said.

"As residents objected to the cremation of COVID-19 patients in the crematoriums which we currently have, we identified a separate space on Mandwa road, nearly two kilometres away from the town," Ambajogai Municipal Council's chief officer Ashok Sabale told. The new makeshift facility has limited space, he said.

"As a result, we had to set up one large pyre and cremate eight bodies on Tuesday. It was a big pyre and the bodies were kept at a certain distance from each other," the official said. He said since the viral infection is growing and more deaths are likely, they are planning to expand the makeshift facility and make it waterproof before the monsoon season.

The official also said if people come forward to seek treatment at an early stage of the coronavirus infection, they can be saved. On Tuesday, 716 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Beed district, raising its tally to 28,491. The district has so far recorded 672 deaths due to the disease, as per official data.

PTI