Mumbai: Refrigerator failure at Bhagwati morgue, rotting bodies relocated

The dead bodies being shifted from Bhagwati Mortuary Centre

The Bhagwati Mortuary Centre in Borivali experienced a sudden malfunction in its refrigerator system, resulting in an unpleasant odour emanating from the stored bodies, with visible maggots on those that had been there for an extended period. In response to this emergency, authorities swiftly relocated the deceased individuals, transferring some bodies to various hospital mortuaries and cremating others with the assistance of NGOs.

The mortuary has a capacity to hold 48 bodies, but at the time of the incident, it housed 37 bodies, including both unknown and identified individuals. The malfunction occurred a couple of days ago, allegedly due to a sudden shutdown of the refrigerator system.

Upon discovering the issue of insufficient cooling and foul smells with maggots, the staff promptly reported it to senior officials. The police surgeon in charge of the city communicated with officers from relevant police stations, instructing them to proceed with the last rites. Police personnel from North Region Police and GRP Borivali, gathered at the mortuary, coordinating with NGOs to dispose of 15 bodies by the following afternoon. The remaining 27 bodies were shifted to Cooper and Shatabdi hospital mortuaries.

"The AC plant operator responsible for inspecting the entire mortuary system addressed the malfunction, promptly initiating repairs to restore the system. As a precaution, bodies were transferred to alternative mortuary centres," said police surgeon Kapil Dev Patil.

He clarified that twenty bodies were relocated to Cooper hospital, and two to Dr Baba Saheb Shatabdi hospital mortuary. To prevent future incidents, regular communication is maintained with the police, sending letters every seven days instructing the prompt disposal of bodies. In response to the recent incident, senior police officers were contacted, urging them to expedite the disposal of bodies. The North Region Police successfully disposed of approximately 15 bodies as part of these ongoing efforts.

An anonymous ambulance driver revealed that the condition of most bodies had deteriorated significantly. The flesh had decomposed, leaving only bones visible. The closure of the freezer expedited the decomposition process, which led to maggots in many bodies.

48
No of bodies at the mortuary