The authorities in Ecuador's most populous city, Guayaquil, say they are handing out 4,000 cardboard coffins amid a shortage of traditional wooden caskets.
Forensic services have struggled to cope with the number of people who have died in the city of three million since the coronavirus pandemic started and funeral directors say they have run out of caskets.
The official number of those who have died after contracting the virus nationwide stands at 180, but President Lenín Moreno has said that number probably falls short as only the cases which have been tested are included.
Guayaquil, a port city, has been at the centre of the outbreak and residents say they have had to wait for days for the dead to be picked up.
Bertha Salinas told BBC News Mundo that it took four days for the bodies of her sister and brother-in-law to be removed from their home.
The family wrapped the bodies in plastic sheeting, which they burned after their loved ones' remains were finally taken away.
Latest Stories
-
CAF Confederation Cup: ‘Ghanaians should expect victory against Stade Malien’ – Dreams FC forward Ishmael Dede
3 mins -
CAF Confederation Cup: ‘We want to go there and win’ – Karim Zito on Stade Malian clash
28 mins -
Togbe Adzie Lãkle Howusu XII endorses youth leadership as New Force Movement gains momentum
59 mins -
Public Utility Workers Union appeals to PURC to address power crisis
1 hour -
Anbariya loses another appeal in Kumasi as Appeal Court ratifies High Court ruling against the Islamic Institute
2 hours -
Highway construction health hazard: Ofankor-Pokuase-Nsawam residents appeal for dust relief
2 hours -
SuperJazzClub releases its first single of the year ‘Off’
2 hours -
Methodist Church to lobby Akufo-Addo for expedited assent to anti-LGBTQI+ Bill
2 hours -
Spare health facilities from unplanned ‘dumsor’ – Minority to government
2 hours -
Eritrea Observed World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2024
2 hours -
Just give us ‘dumsor’ timetable to plan our operations – GMA tells ECG
3 hours -
Parliament petitions Chief Justice for an expedited hearing of cases against anti-LGBTQI+ Bill
3 hours -
The Attorney General vs NDC impasse – why they ‘fight’
3 hours -
High Court orders teacher unions to end strike
3 hours -
‘He worked with all staff irrespective of their status’ – GRA hails Dr Ammishaddai
3 hours