Amid the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a tense situation has developed at a hospital. An angry mob set fire to part of the medical center in protest over the death of a young man and the refusal to hand over his body to his family.
The incident occurred at Rwampara Hospital in Ituri province, one of the main centers of the Ebola outbreak. According to eyewitnesses, relatives and friends of the young man wanted to take the body for burial, but authorities refused to hand it over, citing security concerns.
Officials explained that the bodies of people who have died from Ebola remain highly infectious, and any burial must be carried out according to special rules to prevent the spread of the virus. Some locals, however, are convinced that the disease is “a story invented by external forces.” The clashes burned two medical tents, as well as one of the bodies that was to be buried under special security conditions.
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