Body of British tourist who died abroad goes missing from morgue before eerie twist

British man’s body found after hospital staff fail to locate it

The 60-year-old man had arrived on the island on 9 September when he collapsed at the airport. 

He was rushed to Paphos General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. However, because faulty refrigeration equipment had forced the hospital’s morgue to close, his body had to be transferred to Nicosia General Hospital, around 90 miles away.

An autopsy was carried out at the Nicosia facility to help establish the cause of death, while arrangements were made to return his remains to his family in Britain. 

But when a funeral director arrived on Monday to collect the body for repatriation, staff were unable to locate it.

The hospital reportedly had no record of the remains being moved elsewhere, leaving their whereabouts unclear. 

Police were called in, and the Nicosia Police Division launched an investigation to establish what had happened.

The search eventually led to the body being found on Wednesday. However, the discovery raised further questions when staff realised it had been labelled with another person’s name.  A photograph showing the incorrect identification label has since emerged.

Police are now investigating how the body came to be mislabelled and whether the correct procedures were followed.

They are also trying to establish whether it was removed from the morgue and later returned, or had remained there throughout.

The cause of the man's death is still being investigated, although authorities have ruled out criminal activity.