Coronavirus: Wuhan crematoriums burning '100 bodies a day' casting doubt on official death toll of nearly 500
It is being claimed that crematoriums in Wuhan are working over capacity and that workers are burning bodies of coronavirus victims "24/7."
According to the Daily Star, crematorium workers have been inundated with bodies of victims and are forced to work flat out and without a break. What's more? Authorities are allegedly sending at least a hundred bodies for cremation every day since January 28.
One worker at a funeral home in Wuhan has reportedly revealed their relentless working hours as they are forced to deal with the surge of coronavirus deaths. While handling the dead bodies, crematorium workers are allegedly wearing makeshift protective suits to keep themselves safe.
This comes after reports that the Chinese government has banned funerals and is demanding bodies of victims to be instantly cremated after death.
Wuhan -- the epicenter of the outbreak -- is the first city in China to be placed under full quarantine. After disturbing but unverified accounts and reports from inside the city, speculation is rife that the communist government is downplaying the actual death toll.
According to The Epoch Times, one worker at the Caidan Funeral Home in Wuhan has claimed its employees are exhausted after working "24/7" and without proper equipment. "90 percent of our employees are working 24/7 … we couldn’t go back home," the worker, identified only as Yun, said.
“All Wuhan cremation chambers are working 24 hours," he claimed. “We really need more manpower.”
The Caidan Funeral Home is reportedly required to pick up bodies from a number of medical centers, including Wuhan Tongji Hospital, Wuhan No. 13 Hospital, the newly built Huoshenshan Hospital, and several other small treatment centers. On top of that, they also have to cater to any residences that request their services.
According to Yun, other crematorium workers he has spoken to are all in the same boat. He has alleged that “every day, we need at least 100 body bags." If this is true, it would suggest that the actual death toll is much higher than the official number, which is approaching 500.
Despite reports of over 20,000 cases across the globe, experts have claimed they still lack definitive data to determine how dangerous the coronavirus really is. Furthermore, residents in Wuhan also do not believe the Chinese government's official death toll, per a report by the New York Times.
The healthcare system is not able to handle the unprecedented surge of patients and several hospitals are reportedly turning away people with symptoms.
According to Yun, staff is overwhelmed with work and nap whenever they get a chance. “We can’t stop because we can’t leave the bodies outside for a long time," he said. “For us who transfer the bodies, we don’t eat or drink for a long time in order to preserve the protective suit, because we need to take off the protective suit whenever we eat, drink, or go to the bathroom."
“The protective suit can’t be worn again after being used," he explained.
Another male worker decried how they were "very tired" as they work "24 hours" with barely any breaks. “All male staff at our funeral home are picking up and moving bodies now, and female staff are answering the phones, disinfecting the funeral home, and so on," he said. “We work 24 hours. We are very tired.”
According to him, workers do not have the necessary equipment to disinfect the facility. They are allegedly forced to wear swim goggles and are covering their hands with two layers of disposable gloves as they don't have rubber ones. “We are on the verge of collapsing," he said. "We really need help.”