Tuesday, January 27, 2009

A BURNING ISSUE

It appears that those who have opted to be cremated and who die in Gibraltar have to have their funeral held in nearby Spain even though a crematorium opened on the Rock last April.

Apparently the crematorium is ready to be fired up and a separate furnace for clinical waste and the cremation of pets has been in use for some time.

The hold up seems to be that regulations need to be finalized and those wishing to be cremated need two death certificates instead of the usual one. I am sure that is not the case in Spain and it seems rather an odd requirement as Hindus in Gibraltar have been sent off to their maker on a simple open fire with just one certificate.

It appears the crematorium section for funerals is set aside for human use only – so there is no danger you’ll consumed with a load of old bandages or dearly departed Fido.

It is said the new crematorium is state of the art and complies with all EU requirements. All very reassuring but if it’s sitting idle it doesn’t really matter a toss whether it meets the European laws or not – and if you’re dead you are in no position to complain anyway. I also have to say that I have never come across a cremation centre before that caters for humans, animals and waste all on the same site.

Is this an unsavoury first for Gibraltar?

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