Unlicensed mortuary in apartment block shut down
Authorities in Zaventem have closed down an illegal mortuary in an apartment building where bodies were being held without a permit. Neighbours went to the justice of the peace to file a complaint and informed the municipal administration.
The Al Ihsan mortuary preserves bodies according to Sunni Islamic rituals, but the owner did not have the required licence to do so. Het Laatste Nieuws reports that the alarm was raised after neighbours saw bodies being carried across a terrace. It is unclear how long the site had been operating.
“Their website says they have three years of experience. Hopefully that was not at that location,” councillor Tom De Vits of N-VA told a city council meeting on Monday evening where the issue was raised. “We were informed on Thursday that the mortuary was located there without a permit. It is a grim discovery and we understand that the residents are not at all happy about this.”
All the remains being held at the apartment block in Papierfabrieksstraat have been removed and an official report has been filed against the person in charge of the mortuary. An investigation is under way.
#FlandersNewsService | Papierfabrieksstraat in Zaventem, the street where the unlicensed mortuary was operating © GOOGLE STREET VIEW
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