GUNTUR: The bodies of Covid-19 victims and others have piled up in the Government General Hospital (GGH) mortuary due to the reluctance of the relatives to take them for performing last rites. According to official sources, the GGH mortuary had 62 bodies on Monday morning against its capacity of 50. GGH Superintendent K Sudhakar informed District Collector I Samuel Anand Kumar about the issue and he appointed a committee to dispose of the bodies with the consent of relatives. Guntur RDO S Bhaskar Reddy visited the GGH on Monday and collected the details of the Covid-19 victims.
The hospital authorities informed the RDO that 23 bodies were of Covid victims and the remaining 39 related to medico legal cases. Later, the revenue officials buried 15 bodies at Obulanaidupalem in Prathipadu mandal by following Covid protocol.
The remaining bodies will be buried later after taking the consent of the relatives. GGH Superintendent Sudhakar said that the relatives are showing reluctance to take the bodies for performing the last rites due to the fear of contracting the virus. He said the virus will not spread from the body as it is disinfected with hypochlorite before being packed in a plastic bag. Despite this, people are not ready to accept the bodies of Covid victims, which he said is sad. The capacity of crematorium is only three bodies a day.