Woman returns home 18 days after cremation

Vijayawada : A 75-year-old Covid survivor woman in Andhra Pradesh returned home to that find her family had cremated another person by mistake. The incident occurred at Jaggaiahpet town in Krishna district on Wednesday.

According to local sources, the woman named Girijamma from the Christianpet locality had tested positive for Covid, and was admitted to the government hospital in Vijaywada on May 12, after which her husband Gaddayya returned home.

Subsequently, her husband returned to the hospital on May 15 to check on her condition. However, Girijamma was missing from her bed and the hospital staff told her husband that she may have been shifted to another ward.

However, Gaddayya failed to locate Girijamma even after checking all the wards in the hospital thoroughly. Finally, the hospital staff told Gaddayya to check for his wife in the mortuary. When he went there, he saw a body that resembled his wife and informed the staff who released the body to him, and issued a death certificate in her name.

The family took the body home and cremated it. With the couple’s son Ramesh also succumbing to Covid on May 23, Gaddayya organised the final rites for Girijamma and Ramesh together on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Girijamma, who was still in the hospital, had recovered and was wondering why no one had come to take her home. She returned home by herself on Wednesday.

Her appearance came as a shock to Gaddayya who could not believe his eyes. The old couple is now grieving for their son Ramesh.