Illegal Mortuary Found Inside Belgian Apartment Block

An illegal mortuary has been discovered inside an apartment complex in Zaventem, Belgium. One of the residents saw someone carrying bodies across the terrace and alerted a local councillor. The mortuary has since been closed down and the bodies removed.

"Apparently you could hear the fridges running all the way into other apartments," said N-VA councillor Tom De Vits during a council meeting about the find, which dates back to last month. "People called us because it's so macabre."

Mayor Dirk Philips of Zaventem confirmed that police took up the case immediately after the report. An investigation is now underway, and the operators of the mortuary must answer to the municipality tomorrow.

The mortuary's French-language website says the company has three years of experience. It also states that bodies are "kept in storage and ritually cleansed according to Sunni traditions within Islam."

According to De Vits, the operators will still have to apply for the necessary permits if they want to continue their activities. "But it seems logical that the municipality looks at this extra critically. An apartment building doesn't seem like a suitable place for a mortuary."