Funeral director denies responsibility for burying crash victim in plastic bag

A funeral director has denied responsibility over the burial of motorcyclist Johanna Boni in a plastic bag, contradicting a statement by the health authorities who also denied any form of responsibility.

Funeral director Anna Falzon said she is not allowed to handle a corpse at the mortuary, let alone dress them. She was reacting to claims made by a spokeswoman for the Mater Dei Hospital’s morgue that it was the funeral director who was responsible for the shrouding of the deceased.

Ms Boni was crushed to death by a cement mixer in Labour Avenue, Naxxar on January 5, 2016. The 27-year-old was riding her Kawasaki ER6N to work at the time.

At the time of her burial, her relatives had been advised not to look inside the coffin. But when the grave at the Mosta cemetery was reopened for the burial of her grandfather last week, the parents discovered that their daughter had been buried in a plastic bag placed inside her white coffin.

The shocking discovery was reported by the Times of Malta on Wednesday.

The ministry told the Times of Malta said that when a person dies outside Mater Dei, the hospital is not responsible for the body of the deceased. Ms Falzon said that the...