Families dealing with the grief of a relative dying overseas often find themselves dealing with the unexpected consequence of paying thousands of dollars to bring their bodies home.
The recent deaths in Hawke's Bay of Indian-born Hemin Limbachiya and French tourist Pierre Paludet have highlighted the plight of families, facing typical costs of between about $10,000 and $15,000.
Prashin Kumar, a friend of Limbachiya's widow Tanvi Bhavsar, said coming up with such a sum almost instantly was a challenge. "We have lots of travel costs we had obviously not planned or prepared for."
Funeral Directors' Association of New Zealand chief executive Katrina Shanks acknowledged: "It's not cheap at all.
"All bodies that are transferred by air have to be embalmed. They have to be hermetically sealed to be able to fly.
Transporting the body of drowning victim Hemin Limbachiya, left, to India is costing close to $20,000 - money his family and wife Tanvi Bhavsar had to find quickly.
"That means that nothing can leak out of the casket, so it's totally sealed."
Bodies can either be transported in a metal-lined casket – costing about $500 to $700 depending on the size – or in a bio-sealed aluminium bag, at about $300.
Airlines charge at a flat rate per kilogram, based on the weight of the casket or bag, and the body itself.
23/01/18 Katarina Williams/Stuff
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
The recent deaths in Hawke's Bay of Indian-born Hemin Limbachiya and French tourist Pierre Paludet have highlighted the plight of families, facing typical costs of between about $10,000 and $15,000.
Prashin Kumar, a friend of Limbachiya's widow Tanvi Bhavsar, said coming up with such a sum almost instantly was a challenge. "We have lots of travel costs we had obviously not planned or prepared for."
Funeral Directors' Association of New Zealand chief executive Katrina Shanks acknowledged: "It's not cheap at all.
"All bodies that are transferred by air have to be embalmed. They have to be hermetically sealed to be able to fly.
Transporting the body of drowning victim Hemin Limbachiya, left, to India is costing close to $20,000 - money his family and wife Tanvi Bhavsar had to find quickly.
"That means that nothing can leak out of the casket, so it's totally sealed."
Bodies can either be transported in a metal-lined casket – costing about $500 to $700 depending on the size – or in a bio-sealed aluminium bag, at about $300.
Airlines charge at a flat rate per kilogram, based on the weight of the casket or bag, and the body itself.
23/01/18 Katarina Williams/Stuff
0 comments:
Post a Comment