Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital
Photo: facebook
The
Samoa Observer reported the coroner ordered the post-mortem exam for the bodies of the two men, Elisara Fata Lole and Fata Utufua.
But Deputy Police Commissioner Auapaa u Logoitino Filipo declined to comment on other bodies the coroner had ordered be held for post-mortems.
The Foreign Ministry said a forensic pathologist team from China arrived in Apia last month to conduct the examinations.
Earlier this year it was revealed the national hospital s mortuary had failed to properly store a backlog of bodies awaiting pathologist and police investigations, potentially undermining criminal cases.
The Ministry of Police and Prisons expressed concern over the increasing backlog of deceased people at the morgue, which were moved to a 40-foot container freezer this January.
Samoan PM apologises to families of deceased who remain in morgues
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Samoan PM apologises to families of deceased who remain in morgues
rnz.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rnz.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital
Photo: facebook
China offers help with Samoan bodies awaiting autopsies
The backlog of deceased awaiting autopsies in Samoa may soon get relief with an offer of assistance from the Chinese Embassy.
The
Samoa Observer newspaper reported some 18 bodies, including those of children, were lying at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole National Hospital mortuary waiting for autopsies to be performed.
Samoa does not have a resident pathologist and relied on those seconded from Australia and New Zealand.
However due to Covid-19 border closures this had not happened.
An Embassy spokesperson said they fully understood the situation and China was willing to provide support after further discussions.