A stir in Salzburg

Macabre corpse transport divides opinion

Funeral speaker defends morticians' actions after "Krone" report, ex-corpse chauffeur takes aim at home management after coffin transport through the dining room of a Salzburg retirement home.

Death has been a deeply rooted topic in Salzburg society ever since the world-famous "Everyman". Nevertheless, the current debate surrounding a macabre transport of corpses on Easter Monday is causing a stir. As reported by the "Krone" newspaper, the body of a deceased person was carted past the well-attended lunch table of a local retirement home on April 1st. To the horror of an eyewitness.

While the head of the home blames the morticians, a former body chauffeur speaks plainly: "I worked for the municipal undertakers for 25 years, in my day this wouldn't have happened. It should have been dealt with by the home management," says Alois Rachbauer.

Funeral orator: "Removal without a coffin would be disrespectful"
The funeral speaker in charge, Toni Elsenhuber, would like to see more openness: "I would like to defend the funeral directors, the procedure was perfectly fine. It would have been more irreverent to take the body away without a coffin or even through the cellar." Incidentally, the deceased in the coffin was buried recently.