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Coronavirus: Wuhan death toll could be in tens of thousands, far higher than the official 2,547, claims report

As of March 29, Hubei had reported 67,801 cases of confirmed infections, including 50,006 in Wuhan
PUBLISHED MAR 30, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Piles of urns with cremated remains and data on cremation capacity at the funeral homes in Wuhan have sparked speculations that tens of thousands of people may have died in Wuhan, even as the official figure pegs the death toll at 2,547.

Since the start of the week, ashes of around 500 people have been handed out to families every day from seven different funeral homes in Wuhan, suggesting that far more people may have died as compared to the official figures being released by Chinese authorities, a March 27 report by Radio Free Asia (RFA) claims.

“It can't be right ... because the incinerators have been working round the clock, so how can so few people have died? They started distributing ashes and starting interment ceremonies on Monday,” a Wuhan resident was quoted by RFA in the report.

The report makes several calculations. It says people on Chinese social media have said that seven Wuhan funeral homes will likely distribute 3,500 urns per day on average from March 23 to April 4, which marks Qing Ming, a traditional festival. According to this estimate, 42,000 urns would be given out during the 12-day period.

“Some social media posts have estimated that all seven funeral homes in Wuhan are handing out 3,500 urns every day in total. Funeral homes have informed families that they will try to complete cremations before the traditional grave-tending festival of Qing Ming on April 5, which would indicate a 12-day process beginning on March 23. Such an estimate would mean that 42,000 urns would be given out during that time,” states the report.

The article also claims that news website Caixin.com reported that 5,000 urns had been delivered by a supplier to the Hankou Funeral Home in one day alone—this is close to double the official number of deaths.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas tweeted, “A *single mortuary* in Wuhan reportedly ordered more urns in two days than the Chinese Communist Party has reported total deaths in the whole country. I’m sure you’re shocked by evidence of Chinese lies.”

A March 27 report by Radio Free Asia (RFA) claims that since the start of the week, ashes of around 500 people have been handed out to families every day from seven different funeral homes in Wuhan.
(Getty Images)

Another calculation made in the report is based on the cremation capacity of the funeral homes that runs 84 furnaces with a capacity over 24 hours of 1,560 urns city-wide. It assumes that a single cremation takes one hour. This calculation results in an estimated 46,800 deaths, the article claims.

Yet another speculation is that many people may have died at home, without being diagnosed with, or treated for, COVID-19. This is according to a source close to the provincial civil affairs bureau, claims the RFA article. “The source said Wuhan saw 28,000 cremations in the space of a single month, suggesting that the online estimates over a two-and-a-half-month period weren't excessive,” it says.

“Every funeral home reports data on cremations directly to the authorities twice daily. This means that each funeral home only knows how many cremations it has conducted, but not the situation at the other funeral homes,” RFA further quotes the source.

The article also quotes a Wuhan resident—Chen Yaohui—who told RFA that “city officials have been handing out 3,000 yuan in funeral allowances to the families of the dead in exchange for their silence.”

According to official figures released by China’s National Health Commission, as of March 29, Hubei had reported 67,801 cases of confirmed infections, including 50,006 in Wuhan, and 3,186 deaths, including 2,547 in Wuhan. “In all, 62,882 patients had been cured and discharged from hospital, including 45,733 in Wuhan. There still remained 1,733 confirmed cases (including 1,726 in Wuhan), with 601 in serious condition (including 597 in Wuhan). There were no suspected cases,” says the Commission. It says there have been 81,470 reports of confirmed cases and 3,304 deaths across China.

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