UPDATE - Funeral held for Muslim man mistakenly cremated in Germany

UPDATES WITH STATEMENTS FROM HOSPITAL, GERMAN AUTHORITIES

BERLIN (AA) – A funeral was held on Wednesday for a Muslim man whose body was mistakenly cremated in western Germany.

Abdulkadir Sargin’s devastated family and friends gathered at the Hannover’s central mosque for the funeral prayer, and later buried his ashes in a cemetery in line with the Islamic traditions.

Turkish Ambassador to Germany Ahmet Basar Sen also attended the funeral and promised that they will provide all the necessary assistance to the family members.

The 71-year-old man’s body was cremated a few days after his death at the Hannover Medical School Hospital, as the staff mixed up two dead bodies at the morgue, and sent Sargin’s body to crematorium.

Cremation is not permitted in the Islamic tradition and it is regarded as a desecration of the deceased.

Sargin’s family members said they are taking legal action against the hospital.

- Hospital apologizes for body mix-up

The Hannover Medical School Hospital has issued an apology, and authorities announced that they are investigating the incident.

“The MHH (Hannover Medical School Hospital) deeply regrets the mix-up, we express our sympathy with the relatives. The university has apologized to the family,” a spokesman for the hospital said in a written statement.

German Health Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Gulde told a news conference in Berlin that the incident is being investigated by the police, and declined to make any further comment.