Peruvians Take to Digging Unpermitted Graves as COVID Leads Cemeteries to Run Out of Space
On 5/17/21 at 11:24 AM EDT
Desperate families in Peru have taken to burying their dead in secret, unsanctioned graves as cemeteries run out of space during the pandemic. The demand for burial space coincides with the country's worst wave of the coronavirus.
More than 64,300 people have died in Peru after testing positive, the country's Health Ministry reported, but experts say the real number is upwards of 174,000. For those who can find cemetery space, the cost of burying the dead is often out of reach for families impoverished by the pandemic. Burying a loved one in a cemetery on the edge of Lima costs about $1,200, five times more than the monthly minimum wage of $244, according to the Associated Press.