Bones mixed up, worker hurt after trolley crashes down stairs at Catholic cemetery

At least two sets of human bones were mixed up and a worker injured after a motorised trolley carrying ossuaries fell down a flight of stairs at a Cheung Sha Wan cemetery.

A person with long experience in the funeral business said it would be difficult to sort out the pieces to ensure they went to the right owners.

The trolley was being operated by a 51-year-old worker surnamed Chung at the Catholic cemetery in Ching Cheung Road when the incident happened. Its engine suddenly broke down and the trolley fell, hitting Chung, according to a colleague.

Chung was taken to Caritas Medical Centre with injuries to the ribs, head, hand and waist.

The trolley fell to the bottom of the flight of stairs and toppled on its side. At least two of seven ossuaries - stone boxes to store bones - broke open and bones were scattered.

It is believed the bones were from bodies that had been interred at a Happy Valley cemetery for at least 10 years. As no one had collected them, they were exhumed recently and transported to the Cheung Sha Wan cemetery, Vicar-General Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming said.

'Usually they have been buried for 20 years. For some, it's more than 50 years,' Chan said, adding that due to limited burial space in Happy Valley, unclaimed remains were moved to other cemeteries.