In Ecuador, families finally recover bodies lost in virus chaos

by AFP reporters with Paola Lopez in Quito

For Colon Ramirez, the agonizing search for the body of his grandmother is finally over.

After almost four months, he has finally found and buried the missing 83-year-old Emilia Villon, who died in Ecuador’s virus hotspot Guayaquil.

The remains of his grandmother, together with more than 200 other unidentified bodies, were lost in refrigerated containers piled high with cadavers when the city’s hospitals were overwhelmed with the sick and dying.

Ramirez says the last time he saw Villon was on March 29, when he took her to a local clinic.

“She had a fever, her bones were aching. She had trouble catching her breath,” he told AFP, adding that he had lost seven other relatives to the coronavirus, which was first detected in Ecuador in late February.

While the hospital never directly informed the family of Villon’s death or its cause, her death certificate declared she was a victim of COVID-19.

Once the family recognized her picture among a clutch of photographs of the dead put on display by court officers, her body was identified by her fingerprints.

And on Thursday, the 26-year-old Ramirez finally was able to retrieve the coffin with her remains.

According to Zaida Rovira, the city’s deputy ombudsman, the body of Villon was one of 216 misplaced during the health crisis.

So far, only 116 of them have been identified.

This week, around 30 of the bodies were returned to the families. (AFP)

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