Troops Gather 150 Bodies Of Virus Victims In Ecuador Port City
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published April 03, 2020 | 12:58 AM
Troops and police in Ecuador have collected at least 150 bodies from streets and homes in the port city of Guayaquil, the government said, warning that as many as 3,500 people could die of the coronavirus in the city and surrounding province in the coming months
Quito, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Apr, 2020 ) :Troops and police in Ecuador have collected at least 150 bodies from streets and homes in the port city of Guayaquil, the government said, warning that as many as 3,500 people could die of the coronavirus in the city and surrounding province in the coming months.
A joint military and police task force had collected 150 bodies over the last three days, government spokesman Jorge Wated said late Wednesday.
Residents in Guayaquil, Ecuador's second city, had earlier published videos on social media of abandoned bodies in the streets.
Some left desperate messages for authorities to take away the corpses of people who had died in their homes.
The government spokesman apologized in a message broadcast on state television.
He said mortuary workers had been unable to keep up with the removal of dead people because of a curfew imposed under the pandemic.
"We acknowledge any errors and apologize to those who had to wait days for their loved ones to be taken away," Wated said.
Authorities have not confirmed how many of the dead were victims of the coronavirus.
Ecuador is the Latin American country worst hit by the virus after Brazil, with more than 3,160 infections and 120 deaths by Thursday morning.
Guayaquil's surrounding province of Guayas has 70 percent of the country's COVID-19 infections.
Wated said the government is preparing for difficult days ahead.
"The medical experts unfortunately estimate that deaths from COVID in these months will reach between 2,500 and 3,500 -- in the province of Guayas alone, and we are preparing for that," he said.
Mortuary workers in masks and protective clothing were seen carrying plastic-wrapped coffins in the city on Wednesday as authorities tried to cope with the backlog of dead.
"We are working so that each person can be buried with dignity in one-person spaces," Wated said, referring to a government-run cemetery being made available with capacity for around 2,000 bodies.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Under training officers visit Special Branch Headquarters Roberts Club
Industries promotion can help eliminate unemployment : Sindh Minister for Indus ..
Step afoot to ensure durable peace in Balochistan: Ziuallah
PML-N office torching cases: ATC summons PTI leaders, others for indictment on M ..
Oman, UAE deluge 'most likely' linked to climate change: scientists
CRBC tender to be floated by June; Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sardar Ali ..
122 cases registered against accused involved in drug trafficking
Models, poster and quiz competition held at AIOU
Passco GM, deputy visit wheat procurement centers in Burewala
Non-Muslim Pakistanis enjoy freedom, state patronage: Kundi
Dengue Control Committee gathers in Jhang
BHP launches $38.8 billion takeover bid for rival Anglo American
More Stories From World
-
Oman, UAE deluge 'most likely' linked to climate change: scientists
16 minutes ago -
BHP launches $38.8 billion takeover bid for rival Anglo American
27 minutes ago -
Saudi oil giant Aramco agrees major FIFA sponsorship deal
27 minutes ago -
Putin says plans to visit China in May
26 minutes ago -
Haiti transitional council sworn in after months of violence
1 hour ago -
Ukrainian village battles mines year after Russia forced out
2 hours ago
-
China's Shenzhou-18 mission takes off bound for space station
1 hour ago -
Thousands of flights scrapped as French air traffic controllers strike
1 hour ago -
India's IndiGo to buy 30 A350 planes: Airbus
1 hour ago -
Scottish leader scraps coalition deal with Greens
2 hours ago -
Paris landmark Moulin Rouge's windmill sails collapse
2 hours ago -
155 killed in Tanzania as heavy rains lash East Africa
2 hours ago