Funeral home in NYC puts bodies in trucks

Police were called to a Brooklyn neighbourhood on Wednesday after a funeral home overwhelmed by the coronavirus resorted to storing dozens of bodies on ice in rented trucks, officials said.

Investigators responded to a 911 call from a passerby who complained about the overpowering smell.

On arrival the officers found that the home had rented four trucks to hold about 50 corpses, according to a law enforcement official.

No criminal charges were brought and the official, who was not authorised to speak publicly about the investigation, spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The Andrew T Cleckley Funeral Home was cited for failing to control the odours.

The home was able to obtain a larger, refrigerated lorry later in the day, the official said.

Workers suited up in protective gear could be seen in the afternoon transferring bodies into the refrigerated vehicle.

A person who answered the phone at the funeral home hung up without speaking.

Subsequent calls to the home went straight to voicemail, which was full.

New York City funeral homes have struggled as at least 18,000 people have died in the city since late March.

The city set up temporary morgues.

Hospitals used refrigerated tractor trailers to cart away multiple bodies at a time, sometimes loading them in public view on the pavement.

Crematoriums have been backed up and unable to cope with the volume of deaths. Funeral directors across the city have pleaded for help as they have run out of space.

Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams went to the scene on Wednesday evening.

He told the Daily News: “While this situation is under investigation, we should not have what we have right now, with trucks lining the streets filled with bodies.”