Indian mission decries delay in claiming of remains of deceased Indians in UAE

Dubai, September 14

The Indian Consulate in Dubai has urged employers and families of deceased Indians here to claim the mortal remains at the earliest, in view of increasing burden on the mortuaries across the Gulf kingdom, according to media reports on Monday.

“It has come to the notice of the Consulate that in some cases, the deaths of Indian nationals in Dubai and Northern Emirates are not reported to the Consulate on time, due to which there has been delays in claiming the mortal remains from various mortuaries,” the Gulf News quoted a press statement issued by the mission. 

“It is reiterated that the mortal remains must be claimed expeditiously and their burial/cremation or repatriation completed at the earliest,” the statement added.

The Consulate told the newspaper that on a couple of occasions the deceased Indians were buried in the UAE without the knowledge of their families as there was no one to claim the bodies.

In June this year, the mission had also appealed to the Indian community to report deaths of Indian nationals immediately to avoid delays.

Delays in completing formalities by the employers or families caused additional burden on the mortuaries, the mission said. The situation has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The consulate said employers and sponsors should report the death of an Indian on its emergency helpline or on deathregistration.dubai@mea.gov.in         

The COVID-19 has claimed 399 lives with nearly 80,000 confirmed infections in the UAE so far. PTI