Sudanese medical officials have warned that more than 1,500 unidentified bodies piled up in several morgues of the country could lead to an outbreak of disease, amid accusations that the government is covering up their causes of death.
A forensic medicine and toxicology consultant for the country’s autopsy body, Mahjoub Babaker expressed concerns because of the proximity of one of the morgues to a market, saying the bodies “could spread a plague among local residents.”
At a press conference, he and three other officials argued against the need to carry out independent autopsies, saying instead there should be mass burial of the bodies for public safety reasons. They announced a postponement of any autopsies in order to discuss matters with the deceased individuals’ families.
ALM gathered that reports of the backlog of bodies awaiting autopsy first emerged in May, with a new video released earlier this month showing piles of corpses and limbs kept in a building that appeared to have no refrigeration.
