Stench of rotting corpses pollutes the air as hundreds left to rot in abandoned hospital – Daily Star

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Hundreds of decomposing bodies were left rotting in a Congo morgue for several months until the "nauseating odors" began polluting the area. The remains of 208 people were abandoned at the General Reference Hospital's morgue in the African nation's capital Kinshasa.
The "unclaimed bodies" were left at the facility waiting to be transported to the central morgue or buried by the Congolese state. The hospital's medical director "expressed his indignation at this situation and the dangers it represents for the public health" of residents living in the surrounding areas in a report dated February 20.
The doctor, who died the day after signing the document, claimed to have already contacted the Ministry of Health and informed them of the grave nature of the situation and asked them to take appropriate measures.
"We are still waiting for the response from the Ministry of Health ," he wrote in the document.
The district's mayor said he was aware of the problem but added it was outside of his remit, reports Radio Okapi.
He said: "We are aware of the problem, we went there. But in this case, the municipality can do nothing, it goes far beyond our remit."
The mayor called on the Ministry of Health and the Interior to remedy the situation, which has become "unbearable".
However, the municipal authority suggested the facility is "functioning normally" but added there are problems linked to "power cuts" and "several bodies lying around for many months".
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