Quebec Funeral Insurance News
After an increase in the number of deaths due to recent extreme heat and humidity, the Montreal Morgue has become so overcrowded. As a result of this, the coroner’s office had to partner with a funeral home in Montreal where some bodies will be transported.
Dr. Jean Brochu, Montreal coroner said that it would not be long that the 128 places in the morgue will be filled especially with more than 15 bodies arriving almost every day. He further added that he has never seen the morgue overcrowded in a normal situation, the only time he has experienced such a situation is during renovations.
Brochu made this response after public health officials reported the death of five more people in Montreal due to a week of high temperatures. This brought the city’s death toll to 33 due to the recent heatwave.
Dr. David Kaiser who works with the city’s public health office said that most of the people who died in the city were part of the vulnerable populations, a majority were above the age of 60. According to Kaiser, most deaths were caused by chronic illnesses but it may be possible to conclude that the high temperatures have played a part in the number of deaths.
The major reason why the morgue is filled to capacity is that a lot of bodies have not been claimed, Brochu added. However, the coroner was asked to speed up their examination process and contact the families of the deceased quickly.
However, Brochu added that it may still take months for a body to be claimed even after the process. In a particular case, it took three years for the body to be claimed and the body was already buried before it was claimed. Brochu said that the bodies that have spent the longest time at the morgue are the ones moved to the funeral home.
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