Ecuador Is Dealing With Piles of Bodies as Coronavirus Ravages the Country

Synopsis

In Guayaquil, Ecuador, the coronavirus outbreak creates a dire health crisis for its 2.5 million residents. The city faces a severe shortage of resources, leading to a lack of storage for COVID-19 victims' bodies. Social media videos reveal disturbing scenes of bodies piled inside containers and even abandoned on the streets. Funeral homes, overwhelmed by the number of deaths, struggle to operate under strict curfews. The Crematory Oh Spooner is one of the few still functioning, but it faces significant challenges, including a shortage of coffins. Since reporting its first coronavirus case in late February, Ecuador has identified over 7,400 cases and 330 deaths, with Guayaquil accounting for 70% of these figures. The government responds by establishing a special task force to manage the sanitary emergency, which has already removed over 1,400 corpses from homes and hospitals, highlighting the urgent need for solutions in this crisis.