Ecuador: Police collect nearly 800 bodies from virus epicenter

Ecuador has recorded 7,500 cases of the coronavirus since the first diagnosis was confirmed on February 29.

The coastal province of Guayas accounts for over 70 percent of those infected in the country, with 4,000 cases in the capital Guayaquil, according to the national government.

Guayaquil, the epicenter of the Ecuador’s coronavirus outbreak, is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe due to the collapse of the health care system and the lack of funeral services.

Report says, citing AFP, police have removed more than 700 bodies in recent weeks from homes in Guayaquil.

Mortuary workers in the Pacific port city have been unable to cope with a backlog, with residents posting videos on social media showing abandoned bodies in the streets.

The country reported it was not known how many of the bodies collected from the houses were victims of COVID-19.

According to the informationthe dead are placed in garbage bags or cardboard coffins In Guayaquil, with a population of about 3 million. Moreover, In addition, some citizens burn abandoned bodies in the streets.

Notably, the death toll in Ecuador stands for 333.