Funeral company reprimanded after worker leaves coffin in rubbish container near municipal cemetery in Spain

A company contracted for burials by Castilblanco de los Arroyos town hall in the province of Seville in the Andalucía region of Spain has been reprimanded after a worker left a coffin in a rubbish container located near the municipal cemetery. After learning of the incident, the town hall proceeded to remove the burial casket.

The mayor of the municipality, José Manuel Carballar, reported the incident in a statement published on his Facebook account, describing the incident as an "irresponsible" action on the part of the worker.

The council assured that, since the event occurred on Tuesday, it has been in contact with the company, which, "until then, had been carrying out its services in an exemplary manner and with great professionalism".

The mayor said that the town hall held a meeting with the company on Wednesday, "making it clear just how unpleasant and unacceptable what happened was and that under no circumstances can it be repeated, while also demanding that the appropriate accountability and measures deemed necessary be taken".

In this context, Carballar clarified that the municipal cemetery "is not privatised", adding that "only the burial service is contracted, given the lack of a municipal undertaker, while cleaning and maintenance are managed directly by the town hall".

In line with the above, he pointed out that the council has contacted the affected family, who have expressed “their deep distress over the circulation of the images on social media and that they may take action against any dissemination of the images, whether privately or through the media".

In this sense, the mayor asked residents to think, in cases like this, "before publishing images on social media networks that may violate the privacy or sensitivity of families and individuals, and to inform the council so that it can take immediate action".

The local authority said that these events are "regrettable and unacceptable", adding that "the corresponding measures will be taken to ensure that they do not happen again".