Police and UME guard the greatest damage caused by DANA in Valencia at the Feria Valencia facilities. All the deceased—at least those who have been found—rest in this provisional morgue until the autopsies are completed and all the bodies are identified. While the forensic doctors work and the mortal remains arrive at the morgue, the funeral homes They are already organizing themselves to be able to face all the work of days and even weeks that lie ahead. «We are in tense waitalert in case the death toll increases considerably or if, on the contrary, it slows down,” Alejandro Quinzán, general secretary of the National Association of Funeral Services (Panasef), explains to ABC.
“For now The sector has been able to assume the number of deaths without major problems.», he adds, while saying that there are more than 100 facilities ready and waiting for the bodies to leave Feria Valencia. «In addition to being coordinated and organized with the Valencian Community, we have observed total collaboration on the part of all funeral companies, and we have the complete provision of several centers in nearby communities, such as Catalonia, Alicante or Castellón». Several funeral homes, including eight of the largest in Valencia, have been affected in some way by DANA. However, the strategy coordinated by Panasef allows that, if a facility needs material or double equipment, it can arrive from another nearby center.
«We are prepared and waiting. The covid pandemic taught us a lot and in situations of this caliber we must organize and act quickly,” says Quinzán. It is worth remembering that the Valencian Community It is the second in Spain with the most crematory ovens (60) behind Andalusia, so if, when it comes to giving the final destination to the deceased, families opt for cremation, Panasef assures that “at this time the facilities are large enough to provide support.”
Action protocol for the deceased
It is worth remembering that Nuria Montes, Minister of Innovation and president of Feria Valencia, has explained how the protocol for action for the deceased works. Once the autopsy has been performed and identification has been carried out by the Institute of Legal Medicine of Valencia (IMLV), It will be the courts who contact the relatives who have reported disappearances on the authorized telephone numbers, so that they can make a court appearance and issue the necessary documentation to funeral homes, insurance companies or social or municipal services.
They will be the ones who can take care of the mortal remains and issue the corresponding burial or cremation license, since the relatives will never be able to enter the provisional morgue, with the aim of avoiding crowds and possible traumatic shocks.
Cremation before burial
«If there were the case that a family wanted to bury the body and the cemetery of his town was inaccessible“We will analyze if the service can be carried out, otherwise we will preserve the body waiting for a solution to be found in these cases,” adds Quinzán. The reality is that, currently, in Spain 80% of large cities decide to burn corpses, driven by low cost (around 400 euros), compared to the funeral (between 3,500 and 6,500 euros). Furthermore, Quinzán explains that on this occasion the state of the bodies comes into play more than ever, the vast majority deteriorated from spending so much time in the water.
“In rural areas people continue to opt for burial, and aware of this, if a family member cannot afford a funeral service, there are necessary services from the corresponding municipalities that will take care of the costs,” says Quinzán, despite to which he emphasizes that it has never been a problem, “not in situations like these.”
Although the identification tasks are not going at the pace that many families would like, the Superior Court of Justice of the Community of Valencia has already authorized the delivery of 47 bodies to their families. “This is going to be a very slow thing, in dribs and drabs,” Quinzán remarks.
According to data from the Data Integration Center (CID), At least 35 deceased have already been transferred to the places designated by their families so that they can rest..
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