They are paying hush money to grieving families as furnaces cremate
bodies around the clock
 |
| Photo: Hector Retamal/AFP via
Getty Images |
Giancarlo Sopo
While China's communist government claims that
the coronavirus has killed 3,300 of its citizens, residents of Wuhan, the city
where the deadly illness is believed to have begun, say the number is likely
much higher.
'It can't be right'
According to a report in Radio Free Asia, residents of
Wuhan are highly skeptical of the government's totals based on reports of
cremation services have been distributing tens of thousands of urns in recent
weeks.
In social media posts that were reviewed by
RFA, local residents reported that Wuhan's seven major funeral homes were
distributing at least a combined 3,500 urns each day to grieving families. RFA
reports the funeral homes are working to complete the cremations before the
grave-tending festival Qing Ming on April 5, indicating a 12-day cremation
process that began on March 23. This estimate would pin the total number of
cremations at 42,000 bodies during this time.
The cremation totals don't add up
Others believe the number of deaths in Wuhan
alone may be as high as 46,800, based on the capacity of the city's 84 furnaces
with a capacity of 1,560 urns at one cremation per hour.
A Hubei province resident who spoke to RFA on
background told the publication that most locals believe at least 40,000 people
died in the city from the coronavirus. "Maybe the authorities are
gradually releasing the real figures, intentionally or unintentionally, so that
people will gradually come to accept the reality," he said.
Another resident noted the number of cremations
was unusually high throughout the pandemic and inconsistent with the figures
shared by the government.
"The official number of deaths was 2,500
people ... but before the epidemic began, the city's crematoriums typically
cremated around 220 people a day," he said.
"But during the epidemic, they transferred
cremation workers from around China to Wuhan keep cremate bodies around the
clock," he said.
Many likely died at home
Meanwhile, a source within the province's civil
affairs department told RFA that many people likely died at home without ever
being diagnosed or treated for COVID-19.
The same source said there were over 28,000
cremations in Wuhan in a single month, which would be consistent with the
estimates shared online of over 40,000 coronavirus-related deaths during a
two-and-a-half month period.
"Every funeral home reports data on
cremations directly to the authorities twice daily," the source said.
"This means that each funeral home only knows how many cremations it has
conducted, but not the situation at the other funeral homes."
'Hush money' to families
Chen Yaohui, a resident Wuhan, told RFA that
local city officials have been paying families 3,000 yuan ($422.75 USD) to
cover funeral expenses in exchange for their silence.
"There have been a lot of funerals in the
past few days, and the authorities are handing out 3,000 yuan in hush money to
families who get their loved ones' remains laid to rest ahead of Qing
Ming," Yaohui, referring to the April 5 grave tending festival, said.
U.S. news agencies have had difficulty
confirming the current state of the coronavirus pandemic in China since its
government expelled American journalists on
March 21.
Giancarlo Sopo, The Blaze, 29-3-2020
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