Coronavirus: culled mink rise from graves in Denmark after botched mass burial
- Incident marks latest embarrassment for Danish government, which had ordered the animals killed after finding they could carry a mutated form of the virus
- Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen offers tearful apology to mink farmers for mistakes made in handling of crisis
Millions of dead mink thrown into mass graves have resurfaced in Denmark, triggering a new wave of finger pointing over how the country is handling the crisis.
The animals, which were culled earlier this month after Denmark found a mutation of the coronavirus in mink that could spread to humans and hamper vaccine efforts, have since started to rot.
The gas in their bodies is now causing the mink to rise to the surface, fanning contamination fears.
The development marks the latest embarrassment for Denmark’s government, which was slammed by parliament for failing to consult the legislature before ordering farmers to cull their mink.
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The minister in charge has since been forced to resign, but Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen still faces questions about her handling of the case.
On Thursday, she offered a tearful apology to Denmark’s mink farmers for the mistakes made.