A British tourist's body vanished from a morgue in Cyprus before being discovered under a different name, prompting a police investigation.
The 60-year-old man collapsed while disembarking at the airport shortly after arriving in Cyprus on September 9. He was rushed to Paphos General Hospital but was later pronounced dead.
Body moved to Nicosia
Due to malfunctioning refrigeration units, the morgue at Paphos was not open, so his body was transported to Nicosia General Hospital, around 90 miles away. An autopsy was carried out to establish the cause of death before arrangements began to return his remains to his family in Britain.
However, when a funeral director arrived at the Nicosia morgue on Monday to repatriate the body, staff could not locate it. There were no records showing the body had been moved, raising questions about whether proper procedures were followed.
Investigation opened
Police were called and an investigation was opened by the Nicosia Police Division. A search eventually found the missing body under a different name. It remains unclear whether the body had been moved from the morgue before being returned and wrongly labelled, or if it had stayed in place the entire time.
Morgues across Cyprus are under strain, with facilities in Paphos, Limassol and other districts out of action, leading to bodies being transported to Nicosia. The remaining morgues have faced increased pressure and complex handling and transport issues due to the higher number of bodies.
Police are now examining whether proper processes were followed. The man's cause of death remains under investigation, but criminal activity has been ruled out.
