Residents in Wuhan claim COVID-19 has taken the lives of around 42,000 people in the city, over ten times the number Chinese authorities released.
Over 3,300 people passed away from coronavirus in Wuhan and infected over 81,000. 3,182 of those deaths were reported in Hubei Province.
However, Wuhan residents claim 500 urns have been distributed to heartbroken families daily from seven different funeral homes – the ashes of 3,500 people are handed out every 24 hours.
The funeral homes in Hanyang, Wuchang and Hankou have told grieving families that the ashes will be handed out before April 5. This means that more than 40,000 urns could be handed out in those 12 days, according to RFA.
Website Caixin.com also reported that 5,000 urns had been delivered to the Hankou premises in one day alone.
This comes as the province relaxed its lockdown of around 50 million people and those who tested negative for the virus were allowed to go out of the region. But restrictions on going in and out of the city of Wuhan will remain until April 8.
Zhang, a Wuhan resident, told RFA: “It can’t be right… because the incinerators have been working round the clock, so how can so few people have died?”
Another resident, Mao, said: “Maybe the authorities are gradually releasing the real figures, intentionally or unintentionally, so that people will gradually come to accept the reality.”
A source close to authorities in Hubei province had many people have passed away in their homes without being tested or treated for coronavirus.
“Every funeral home reports data on cremations directly to the authorities twice daily,” the source said.
“This means that each funeral home only knows how many cremations it has conducted, but not the situation at the other funeral homes.”
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Replaced!