SHOCKING! Coronavirus: Woman learns sister is alive after cremating wrong body in Ecuador

By Lokmat English Desk | Published: April 27, 2020 05:29 PM2020-04-27T17:29:07+5:302020-04-27T17:29:07+5:30

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The coronavirus, that first originated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, is now a global pandemic spread across 200 countries. So far, more than 3 million people have been infected with the corona and more than 2 million have died.

The death toll from coronavirus in the West is in the thousands, people have been asked not to even go for cremation. People have been warned not to even come close contact with Corona infected corpse.

An Ecuadorean woman in coronavirus-ravaged Guayaquil city learned on Friday that her sister was alive, weeks after cremating a misidentified body.

Alba Maruri, 74, was admitted to an intensive care unit on March 27 suffering from a high fever and difficulty breathing, and medical personnel told her family later that day that she had died.

A week later, health authorities released what they thought were Maruri's remains to her relatives, who had the body cremated.

Maruri was suspected to have contracted COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, but was never diagnosed with it because she was not tested.

The family had also informed relatives about Alba's death. But a few days later, Alba's sister, Aura, got a call from the hospital. They were told that the whole family was shocked to hear that Alba wanted to speak to Maruri. They thought someone was joking.

Hours after the phone call, an ambulance arrived at Aura Maruri's home. The hospital staff was present in the ambulance along with the doctor. He apologized to Alba's family and said that due to misunderstandings, he had given another body to Alba's family.

Aura Maruri says she does not know what to do with the ashes of the body they received by mistake. "I couldn't sleep because I was afraid they would take her (remains) to those containers for the dead," said Maruri, referring to refrigerated containers set up as mobile morgues as the pandemic spread through Guayaquil.