A preliminary assessment by the Health department in Ernakulam has shown that the malfunctioning of a cold storage box at the mortuary of the Government District Hospital, Aluva, may have resulted in the faster decomposition of the body of a 46-year-old from Kodamthuruthu panchayat in Alappuzha.

Sabu, who was residing near Thadiyittaparambu, had reportedly developed chest pain on Tuesday (May 6, 2025), and he was taken to the district hospital where his death was confirmed. The body was shifted to the mortuary in the night as the police had recommended a post-mortem at the Government Medical College, Ernakulam.

Arunjith P.A., member of Kodamthuruthu grama panchayat, who had filed a complaint at the Aluva East police station on Wednesday (May 7, 2025), alleged that the body that was kept at the mortuary of the district hospital was found in a decomposed state when relatives of the deceased came to receive it on Wednesday morning. An unbearable stench was emanating from the mortuary, he said.

The civic representative said he had immediately informed the hospital authorities that there was no cooling inside the cold storage box. After post-mortem, the relatives took the body to the district hospital as a mark of protest. The body was later taken to Kodamthuruthu after the hospital authorities admitted to malfunctioning of the cold storage unit, he added.

A senior Health department official said an inquiry had been ordered into the incident. The preliminary probe had revealed that there was no cooling inside the storage unit, though the indicator light of the switch showed that it was working. There was only one body in the mortuary when the lapse was detected, according to the official.