The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has issued a report on the number of burials in its designated graveyards, including the ones of coronavirus victims.
The report issued by the KMC Graveyard Department said the first coronavirus case was reported in Karachi on February 26 and the first death from the virus on March 20. The city has 1,097 known coronavirus cases at present. On March 30, KMC authorities designated five graveyards for the burial of deceased coronavirus patients. These included Mohammad Shah Graveyard in North Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Zia Colony Graveyard in Orangi 11 ½, Mowach Goth Graveyard on Hub River Road, Chakra Goth Graveyard in Korangi No. 1 and Surjani Town Graveyard in Sector 6-A near the Northern Bypass.
As per the KMC record, 1,460 burials took place in the designated KMC graveyards from February 1 to April 15. Of the 1,080 bodies buried in Mohammad Shah Graveyard, nine were of coronavirus patients. Forty-four bodies were buried in Gulshan-e-Zia Graveyard and 132 in Mowach Goth Graveyard. None of the deceased buried in these two graveyards had died of coronavirus. In Chakra Goth Graveyard, 204 bodies were buried, including one of the coronavirus patients. The Surjani Town Graveyard is not yet open for burials. The 12-acre graveyard was inaugurated by Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar in 2018. The KMC Graveyard Department is currently working to prepare the graveyard for burials.
KMC Graveyards Deputy Director Sarwar Alam told media that total 14 bodies of coronavirus patients had been buried in different KMC-owned graveyards.
Nine coronavirus victims were buried in Mohammad Shah Graveyard and one each in Chakra Goth Graveyard, Saleemabad Graveyard in Orangi 11 ½, Paposh Nagar Graveyard, Model Colony Graveyard and Sherpao Colony Graveyard.
