Covid +ve man cremated on river bank as H’bag crematorium lies defunct

Hazaribag: With the electric chimney at Hazaribag Municipal Corporation’s crematorium out of order, the body of a 45-year-old Covid-19 patient, who died on Wednesday, had to be cremated at an isolated patch of land on the banks of Konar river late on Thursday night.
As of Friday aftenroon, Hazaribag has recorded 154 Covid cases. Of these, 38 are active, 115 have recovered and one has died.
Deputy commissioner Bhuvanesh Pratap Singh told TOI, “After the man’s swab samples tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, his bod was taken to the HMC crematorium for his last rites in the evening.However, the electric chimney is out of order and the body had to be brought back to the mortuary at Hazaribag Medical College and Hospital (HMCH).”
Late in the night, a suitable patch of isolated land was selected on the banks of Konar and the body was cremated around midnight.
The man, who worked in Mumbai, reached Hazaribag on June 15. He had travelled to New Delhi from Mumbai and had boarded a Shramik Special train for Koderma. However, upon arriving at his native Mangura on June 15, he was not allowed to enter the village. On the same day, he was admitted to HMCH where doctors said he has acute asthma.
Meanwhile on Friday, the district administration turned Mangura into a containment zone and sealed its entry points. “Samples of 22 persons, including the deceased’s wife and son, were collected for testing,” Singh said.