Health Alert: Uncovered mass burial pit at Awudome Cemetery

Awful stench from decomposing bodies in an uncovered mass burial pit at Awudome Cemetery in Accra has raised health concerns.

Two mass burials were carried out last week in the pit. The stench from the decomposing bodies is causing discomfort for those who live in the area and motorists.

Cemetery officials say the Police Hospital and the Medical School have been dumping bodies in the pit, the last being nine days ago. They, however, say they are waiting for more bodies from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital before they cover the pit.

Joy News' Manasseh Azure Awuni who visited the mass burial site reports that cemetery officials cite scarcity of land as the reason for leaving the pit open for days.

"When I approached the attendants of the cemetery, the head denied the existence of any such mass burial pit. But I discovered the pit and led them there," he narrated.

According to Manasseh, attendants of the cemetery say they are not spared by the awful stench from the decomposing bodies that is causing discomfort to motorists and pedestrians

"The head of the cemetery who gave his name as Paul initially downplayed the extent of the problem. But by the time I finished, he was calling some young men to put a little soil on the bodies to cover the blood and to deal with the stench a bit," he recounted.